Parallels: A Wander over Yonder Story
by futureauthor13
Summary: One wanted to explore the universe, the other wanted to rule it. One never grew out of being a bratty teenager, the other managed to keep his childlike innocence. They were complete opposites, with two different lives and different goals. They did have one thing in common though: They both wanted their freedom. But there's always more than one path to a goal. Multichapter.
1. Chapter 1

_In the center of the galaxy, resting under a cluster of stars, was Yonderia._

_It was a peaceful planet, and a happy one. There were plenty of forests, life was able to thrive and grow, and every Yonderian was able to live happily. Of course they would have to sometimes defend their little piece of paradise, but civil wars on the planet were unheard of._

_One day, the planet began to crumble in on itself. Whether this was simply the planet and its age or an outside force, the Yonderians weren't sure. All they knew was that they had to leave their home. Before the planet collapsed on itself and became nothing but rocks floating in the vast realm of space, most of their species was able to evacuate safely. _

_Homeless, the Yonderians headed out into space, led by their crowned prince, Wander. The prince had told them that perhaps they shouldn't just look for new homes, but new lives as well. Of course they all knew about other species, planets and kingdoms in the universe, but very few Yonderians had left their section of it._

_Heading towards the closest planet to theirs, they started their journey. The Squiblings offered shelter for a short time in exchange for trade, which the Yonderians were happy to do so. During their time on Squibliss, they made new acquaintances and learned of their culture. As enjoyable as it was, the Yonderians eventually left Squibliss and headed towards the next planet._

_Over several decades, the Yonderians met and made relationships with hundreds of alien species. They acquired several new ways of living throughout their journeys - inspired by their new friends - and made sure to help however they could on whatever planet they were staying on. It was said that most of the species was just as happy going from planet to planet as they were on Yonderia. Because of their traveling nature, they were nicknamed 'The Star Nomads' since the symbol of a star was carved on the King and Prince's royal crowns. _

_Throughout all this traveling however, the Yonderians were beginning to grow weary and were ready to settle down once again, having gained enough experience and knowledge to last a lifetime._

_Shortly after they left the planet Tourqke, a new barren planet was discovered. Contrasting from the great green fields of the original Yonderia, it's soil was rich with a bright orange color. Other than some plants and vegetation, there was no other life on the planet. Taking this as a sign, Wander - now crowned king after the peaceful death of his father - declared that it would be their new home. _

_His reign lasting another twenty years, King Wander was able to help develope several cities on the new Yonderia, making their species truly thrive and grow, tripling their population. Once again, the species was prosperous and happy. _

()()()()()()()

"Wow, Gramps sure was a great guy. If it weren't for him, we may not have a home!" He turned the page, looking at a picture of the late King. Instead of a shining crown, a floppy green hat with a star emblem sat atop his head. The caption for the picture said the King was enjoy the beach on one of the planets he visited, hence the casual headwear. He looked different from the last time the young prince saw him. His fur wasn't grey, but a healthy shade of orange like his. There were no wrinkles, and the walking stick he used was more of an accessory than a necessity. The only thing familiar about the picture was his grandfather's happy, friendly smile.

He had read the story of his people's long journey dozens of times. Of course he had to know his people's history, he was the prince after all, but he always kept coming back to this story. The Yonderians had been uprooted from their homes with little to no warning, but they kept strong and positive, traveling the universe until they found their new home. As happy as he was, part of him wished his species was still traveling around the universe, seeing a new planet and new people every few weeks. Every day would be a new, fun adventure!

"Yeah..." the young prince smiled to himself.

Just then, there was a knock at his door. "Come in!" The door opened, and a tall Yonderian woman walked in. Unlike her father and son, her fur color was the color of gold. Clipped to the sides of her head were the star shaped hairclips she had worn since she was little, and a shiny tiara sat on her head. Around her neck was a simple silver chain with an amber gem.

"Are you ready to go for our walk, Erryl?" she asked him.

The boy smiled. "You bet, Mom!" Putting his history book away, Erryl put on his sneakers (not exactly footwear for a prince, but better than walking barefoot) and quickly ran over to his mother. "Ready!"

The queen giggled. "Alright then." She took his hand. Unlike most sixteen year olds, Erryl wasn't the least bit embarrassed about holding his mother's hand.

"So, how's your day been?" he asked.

"Oh, same old same old," she replied, making the phrase sound elegant, "And what about you, Son?"

"Had to go to my lessons of course," Erryl replied, trying to sound at least somewhat positive about it. It wasn't that he hated learning, it's just that some of his professors could be a bit strict. 'They're just tryin' to do their jobs', he thought, 'and they do teach me some interesting things'. Although today was Arithmetic lessons - his worse subject - so class was nowhere near as interesting as it was on the days where he had History or Science or Music.

"After that I had some lunch and then went to my room to do homework, and then I guess I ended up reading."

"Did you read anything interesting?"

"I read about Gramps again, how he led our people all over the universe."

The queen smiled. "Your favorite story."

"Well, it is a good one."

The two royals continued out the doors of their home. One would think being the rulers of the planet that they would live in a castle or palace, but really it was simply a wood cabin. Of course it was bigger and had more rooms than most houses, but no where near as big as some of the royal homes Erryl had seen pictures of.

Stretching out in front of them was the golden surface of Yonderia II. Eryll could see that their dark green trees were starting to grow fruit and orange blossoms, he always enjoyed climbing them and trying to pick the best fruit and then give some to whoever he saw.

A bit farther away sat one of their towns, its streets no doubt filled with people rushing home or perhaps doing some afternoon shopping. It was a great day for it after all, the sun shone bright but light winds kept anyone from getting over heated (which was good because they wouldn't start shedding their winter coats for another month).

"Where shall we go?" his mother asked. Eryll simply shrugged. As much as he loved spending time with his mother, he wished they could go somewhere new. He visited town nearly every day, the gardens twice a day. Because of meetings, lessons and other tedious activities, they could never go too far from their home. In reality though, the young prince even though the other side of the planet was too familiar.

But, not wanting to ruin their walk, Eryll smiled and replied, "Why don't you decide, Mom?"

"Alright then." Leading the way, the two took a small walk around their home and to the lake that was about ten minutes away from it. Even if it was somewhere he had been dozens of times before, Eryll still liked relaxing by the water and playing with whatever creatures happened to be scurrying around there. "Here lil' guy," he said when he spotted a hare-rel (if he had been to Earth, he would describe it as a rabbit combined with a squirrel). He held out a berry. "Come on, it's yummy!"

The hare-rel's nose twitched as it hopped closer. In one swift move, it grabbed the berry, stuffing it in it's mouth, and ran off. Eryll chuckled. "Aww, enjoy the snack!" Glancing up to the sky, he let out a content sigh.

The brown, transparent clouds drifted through the sky, and just above them Eryll could see a few faint stars. As their planet turned, more stars were sure to come out.

"Hey, Mom?" Eryll said.

"Yes dear?" the Queen replied, looking away from the water and focusing all her attention on her son.

"How often do you get called for meetings that aren't on Yonderia?"

"Every once in a while, probably about once every couple months. Why?"

He paused for a moment. "Do you think that I could come along with you the next time you go to one?"

"Well, of course I don't mind your company, but why?" Next to math, she knew the rules and politics of the universe wasn't exactly her son's favorite subject.

"I dunno, just to see what it's like?"

"To sit in during a meeting or to see how life is on a planet other than Yonderia?"

Eryll grinned. "Guess I can't fool you, Mom. Both, I guess."

"Well then, I'll make sure to keep that in mind," the Queen told him, smiling back.

No sooner than a few seconds later, they could hear footsteps behind them. "Your majesty! Your majesty!" The golden furred nomad stood up, knowing exactly who it was.

"What is it, Ruby?" she asked, "is everything alright?"

The red furred assistant to the Royal Nomads to a minute to catch her breath. "It seems, that your meeting with Lord Obsidian has been moved up - in fact, he's coming right now! The others and I tried to tell him to wait another week, but he 'insisted' that he needed to meet with you today."

The Queen showed no signs of fear or even surprise. "Let's see what he wants then." She looked over at Eryll. "Here's your chance to sit in on one of my meetings."

"Sure," Eryll replied, grinning and standing up as well. Going to a meeting was better than just being in his room by himself. "Besides, it might be nice to meet some other rulers of the universe. You know, makes some new friends." That thought alone excited him.

Ruby gave a bitter laugh. "Obviously you've never met anyone from their planet." Eryll didn't know what she meant by this, but didn't dwell on it too long. As he followed his mother back to their home, a silver ship began to enter the atmosphere above them.

()()()()()()()()

The interior of the ship was filled with their people, as well as other species that his father had 'hired'. Following orders, they were all scurrying around the control room like rats, trying to obey their orders quickly and efficiently. In fact, the only one who wasn't working was him.

Sitting in a corner of the room, his feet up on one of the desks, he was simply watching the idiots on his father's ship squirm. Everyone knew that when you worked for Lord Obsidian, it wasn't a matter of making him happy so he'd spare your life, it was simply postponing your 'retirement' as long as possible.

But he wasn't worried about that, at least not most of the time.

"Landing time?" said his father as he walked through the door.

"Exactly eight minutes, Sir," one of the crewmen replied.

"Hmm." He could hear footsteps coming towards him, but it wasn't until the hood he was hiding his head with was pulled off did he actually flinch. "What did I tell you about wearing that thing? You look like a commoner."

He held back a retort, but he did glare at his father. "Go put on your cloak, Keir. I don't care if you insist on embarrassing yourself, but it'll be a cold day on Mercury before you embarrass me. _Go_." Bright yellow eyes met neon green, sending a slight chill down his son's spine.

"Fine," Keir mumbled, getting up from his seat. Living with the man for sixteen years had taught him to pick his battles, though he had a feeling he would still end up doing something to piss off his father. 'As if I care,' he thought as he walked to his private quarters on the ship.

Taking of his hoodie - dark grey with green splatters - he walked towards his closet. For the son of an evil Lord, his bedroom - or at least temporary one until they went home - looked like that of any teenager's room. Several band posters lined the walls, as well as a couple dents and ashened spots from the times when he lost his temper. The floor was hardly clean, littered with dirty clothes and food since he refused to eat in the ship's dining room. What was the point of cleaning anyway, a servant would clean the room anyway when they landed.

Once Keir put on his cloak - black and silver, the color of his family - he opened his dresser drawer and took out a pair of black gloves. Even if he could control his power pretty well, the gloves were still a precaution. The last thing he would need is to lose control and accidentally electrocute the queen of Yonderia... his father would probably never shut up about it.

'Just another week within him on this ship, and then we'll be home,' Keir told himself, 'Then I'll be able to stay as far away from_ both_ of them as possible.' Sitting down on his bed, the skeleton teenager glanced out the window.

They had already entered the planet's atmosphere, so he could get a pretty good view of the planet. The surface reminded him of gold, and the people seemed happy with not a care in the world, barely noticing a ship carrying one of the deadliest rulers in the universe coming towards them. Everything just looked so pleasant and perfect.

Keir sneered. "What a dumb looking planet." This was going to be such a waste of his time, but since he didn't exactly have a choice in the matter, he simply laid down in his bed and waited for the ship to land.

**Alright! Welcome to my new WoY story! Basically, I'm going to try to give these guys - Wander and Hater - some history. How did they become who they are? How did Wander start his journey across the universe? How did Hater become a villain? I'm going to try and answer these questions with this story.**

**As the fic goes on and more WoY episodes come out, this story will probably become more and more less likely to be true or even likely, so I'm just gonna save myself all that trouble and just call this story an AU from the very beginning. With that said, please review and I'll see you all in the next chapter! **


	2. Chapter 2

**Thanks for all the reviews and faves/follows guys! It really means a lot to me, and I hope you'll all enjoy the 2nd chapter! Here we go!**

In their house, there wasn't really a 'meeting room', at least not one you would be familiar with seeing. There was no long table or throne or big desk. Instead, whenever the Queen met with another leader, she would invite them into the living room where two chairs and a love-seat big enough for two people sat in front of a warm fireplace. "Just because we're discussing business doesn't mean we can't relax and have a friendly chat in between," she had always said.

"Alright Ruby, please tell Horace to go escort Lord Obsidian from his ship and then ring up the kitchen to bring in some honey tea."

"Yes, Your Majesty," Ruby replied. Before leaving, she suddenly noticed Eryll's head - or rather what wasn't on it. "My prince, where's your crown?"

Eryll's hands automatically went to his head. "Oh, guess I forgot it... again. Sorry Ruby."

The royal adviser held back a sigh. "I'll have someone go fetch it."

"Or I could go get it, it is mine after all," Eryll suggested, not wanting her to trouble herself, "Don't worry Ruby, I'll be back before you know it!" With that, the teenager raced out of the room. Ruby couldn't help but roll her eyes while Aurora chuckled, amused.

It only took a couple minutes for Eryll to reach his room and find his crown. The crown was nice but not too garish. It was made out of bronze with gold lining it. Several small jewels surrounded the crown, and in the center was a drawing of a star carved into the precious metal. After running a comb through his hair a couple times, Eryll placed the crown on his head and ran out the door, not bothering to see where he was going. Running into something big yet easy to knock over, both Eryll and the stranger fell to the floor.

"Oof!" The prince blinked and looked at who he had knocked over, "Sorry! I didn't-!" One look and he could see this wasn't one of the normal maids or servants he would sometimes run into.

This person - a teenager it looked like, though he was at least a foot taller than Eryll - was a skeleton who was wearing a long black and silver cloak. The skeleton opened his eyes, glaring at Eryll with his neon green eyes. "Why don't you watch where you're going?!"

"Sorry!" Eryll said again, looking at him curiously and not the least bit scared, "I'll help you up!" He offered his hand, but the skeleton denied it, picking himself off the floor. "So, um, are you Lord Obsidian?"

"Of course I'm not," he replied bluntly, "I'm his son - unfortunately - Keir."

Eryll smiled. "Hi Keir, my name's Eryll."

Keir noticed the crown. "So you're Queen Aurora's kid?"

"Yep! Hey, do you need help findin' your way back?"

"No!" Keir snapped, "I'm not stupid! I just had to use the restroom, and I was on my way back when you ran into me!"

"Well, we could still walk back together," Eryll said with a smile, either not noticing that Keir was annoyed with him or was simply ignoring it. 'Or maybe he's just an idiot,' the skeleton thought as he trudged down the hall, 'Frankly, it wouldn't surprise me.'

"So, I don't know how long you and your dad are stayin' here, Keir," Eryll said, trying to start a conversation, "but if you want, I can show you around the planet. There's a lot of pretty great places here."

"No thanks," Keir replied, "We won't be staying here too long anyway, Father just wants to get what he wants from Queen Aurora and then he'll leave. I don't know why he brought me, he probably thought it would be fun to watch me suffer in boredom."

Eryll frowned slightly at that. "Well, at least you got to come visit Yonderia, that must be fun at least. I've never really left my home planet."

"You're a prince and your mom likes you," Keir looked at him questioningly, "Can't you just snap your fingers and order a ship to take you where ever you want?"

"Can't drive, and I'm not really allowed to leave my house without Ruby or someone else," Eryll answered. He smiled, slightly embarrassed. "Probably cause I usually lose track of time, and I need someone to remind me about my lessons. I guess that's another reason why I can't leave, not enough time."

"Hmm," was all Keir said. 'Looks like Prince Perfect's life isn't so perfect after all,' he thought.

"But hey, I guess it's not too bad," Eryll added, smiling once again, "Yonderia's great! There's plenty of forests nearby and the lake with all the little animals and the town filled with friendly people! And when people come to visit or have meetings with Mom, I do get to meet new people that way, like you!" Keir just rolled his eyes as Eryll continued rambling.

When the two heirs reached the living room, they could see Queen Aurora and Lord Obsidian bowing at each other - or rather Aurora was bowing and Obsidian was lowering his head, the closest he would ever get to bowing to someone.

Eryll couldn't help but shrink a little at Keir's father. He could easily towered over any Yonderian, and was about twice the height of the Queen. While Keir was bigger and his shoulders a bit broad, Lord Obsidian was skinny with sharp shoulders, reminding Eryll of a snake or a shadow. Instead of neon green eyes, Obsidian had glowing yellow eyes that seemed cold and burning at the same time.

While Eryll was staring at his father, Keir was staring at the Queen. She didn't look afraid or worried, she was smiling at him like he was an old friend! 'Is everyone here an idiot?!' Keir thought. He hated his father, but he still wanted others to show respect to his family and planet, or he at least expected them to be somewhat frightened by them.

When both adults sat down in their chairs, Eryll and Keir sat down on the loveseat. "Lord Obsidian, this is my son," Aurora introduced. Eryll gave a small wave, Obsidian didn't move a muscle. "And I see you brought your son too. What's your name?"

Keir opened his mouth to speak, but his father cut him off. "I am not in the mood for formalities, Yonderian," he said, ignoring his son's glare, "I am here to discuss your allied planet."

Aurora nodded, taking a sip of her tea. "Well then, you're a smart man, can you remind me of our deal?"

Obsidian's frown deepened. "Three years ago, our two planets signed a peace treaty. The treaty stated that Yonderia and all planets allied with it or part of Yonderia's territory will trade with Skulltrion. In exchange, Skulltrion will not start war or attack the citizens of Yonderia or any planets allied with Yonderia," the lord recited without any mistakes.

Aurora smiled, but it wasn't a smile that Keir was used to seeing from his father's enemies. It was completely friendly and calm. "Thank you, Obsidian. The deal has worked well these past few years, hasn't it? I don't know about you, but I enjoy peaceful times more than times of war."

"I do not wish for war either, peaceful times are a lot less expensive," Obsidian replied, "But one of your allied planets refuses to hand over the resources I need despite our agreement. Understand Queen that I am not afraid to start war, and I am not very patient, so I suggest you call up the mayor of the planet now."

Eryll gulped. He had never met anyone like Obsidian before, and the idea of war frightened him despite the fact the concept of war wasn't new to him. Surprisingly, his mother didn't falter.

"I believe Mayor Whitlinn is on a picnic with his grandchildren today," Aurora replied, thinking for a moment, "I know both he and the children enjoy their little outings, so I won't interrupt it. However, I promise you that I will call him up tonight and ask him why he doesn't want to give you what you asked for."

Obsidian scowled. "I suggest you persuade him to make the smart choice. My ships will return in three days, and if they are not given what I've asked for, I've given them permission to shoot."

Keir kept his head down, wishing he had his hoodie to hide under. Despite wanting to rule the universe and his father's kingdom himself one day, Keir didn't exactly agree with Obsidian's tactics. 'They're just some minerals,' he thought, 'you don't have to go killing workers for it. If you want to make a point, go after the mayor and keep the people who don't have a choice in the matter out of it until war actually starts.'

Finally, the smile fell from the queen's face. 'I only rule Yonderia, I cannot tell the people of the planets surrounding me what to do no more than I can tell your people what to do. I will suggest what I think they should do, but I will not force anything. However, understand that I am willing to assist them if war does break out. I just hope it doesn't come to that." The smile returned. "Well then, with that business out of the way, would you and your son care to stay for dinner?"

"No," Obsidian said bluntly, standing up. Obviously not happy, he turned on his heal and walked out of the room with Keir following him. Poking her head out the doorway, Ruby stepped in as soon as she saw the two skeletons leave.

"Forgive me, your majesty," she started to say, "but I don't understand how you can act so calm and, and _polite_ in front of him!"

"We may not agree on certain things, but that's no reason to be rude, Ruby," Aurora replied, "Besides, with his temper and wrath, I doubt being rude would have helped the situation."

"I suppose you're right," Ruby agreed, though she still had some doubt, "Do you see know that I didn't expect you to make friends with them, Prince Eryll? ...Prince?" The red Yonderian looked around. "Um, Your Majesty? Where is the Prince?"

"Hm?" Aurora looked around. He was just here a moment ago. "Eryll?"

()()()()()()()

"Yes, and make sure the troops are ready to ship out in three days. Alright, we're nearly back at the ship, open the doors."

As his father spoke through his communicator, Keir's thoughts were far away from taking over planets and issues over minerals and not being given them. Instead, he was thinking about what he was going to do once they were home tomorrow evening. There was a certain melody he couldn't get out of his head, and he was wondering how it would sound on his guitar. Then there was also training, using target practice to control and strengthen his electric power. Then of course was Ember, who he promised to play with as soon as he got back. The thought of his little sister managed to put a small smile on the teenager's face. 'I just hope Mother wasn't too hard on her while I was away,' he thought.

"Keir! Hey, wait up!"

Surprised, Keir looked over his shoulder and saw the small, orange furred prince running towards him. "What does he want?" Keir asked himself.

"I don't know, but he's not coming on my ship," Obsidian answered, "Just take care of it outside and then come inside the ship. Do not take very long." With that, his father continued walking to the silver vehicle while Eryll got closer.

"I'm- I'm glad I caught- you, Keir!" he said, slightly out of breath.

"Well?" the skeleton asked, crossing his arms, "What is it?"

"Well, I just thought that maybe the next time you and your dad come around here, you can make a quick pit stop on Yonderia and we can hang out a little," Eryll suggested, "It could be fun, don't you think?"

Keir chuckled harshly. "Do you really think that just because we talked to each other for a minute it means that we're friends?"

"Well, I was kinda hoping," Eryll admitted, "I just thought it would be nice-"

"Look, I'm sure you're lonely and all that since you're trapped here, but that's not my problem," Keir said, bending down slightly so he was looking Eryll in the face as he said all this, "I don't want to be your friend. I don't want to be anyone's friend, but if I did, I wouldn't want to be yours."

Eryll blinked, shrinking slightly. "If you didn't want to, all you had to say was no," he mumbled.

A tiny part of Keir felt bad about what he said, but most of him didn't care, it was the truth after all. "Besides, I wouldn't want to stay on this dumb planet more than I have to."

Surprisingly, Eryll actually scowled at that. "Hey now," he said, "I understand if you're not in a good mood, but I don't appreciate-"

"Hey, you're the one who said you wanted to leave," Keir interrupted, "I'm sure you've thought the same thing."

"The first part is true, not the second!" Eryll retorted, "I, I'm glad Gramps found this place, and I'm glad my home is here! Maybe if you would take the time to enjoy the places you get to go, you wouldn't be so mean and rude!"

"I told you before, I didn't even want to come here!" Keir shouted at him, "I hate coming on these trips with Father! I hate being around him, and I hate going on these pointless trips, and acting like some stupid tourist won't make it better! I never get any say in where I want to go or what I want to do! I know that to him everything I do will be wrong but I still try my best because I'm pretty much teaching myself what I need to know to eventually take my father's place, and I'll be damn sure I'll be better than he is at it!"

Silence fell between the two. All of Eryll's anger faded away while Keir's was causing small bolts of energy to exit through his gloves. From the way he ranted, Eryll could see that the two skeletons weren't just a father and son who disagreed all the time, there was something else - something that made the prince sad and angry.

"I'm- I'm sorry, Keir," Eryll said, giving him a look that Keir could only assume was pity.

Keir squeezed his fist tighter, turning his head away. 'Damn it, why did I say all that stupid stuff?!' He usually kept his rants inside, that's what had been working for sixteen years, so why did he go and -

Suddenly, he felt a pair of arms wrap around him, and make his bones feel warm. It took a few moments for Keir to process what was going on, that the prince he had literally met five minutes ago was hugging him. After his mind started working, he was about to push Eryll to the ground, but the prince let go on his own. "Sorry, I think I may've overstepped my bounds there," he said, rubbing the back of his neck, "But, I just thought you needed that."

Keir mumbled something under his breath. "Come again?"

"I said, if you really want to travel the universe, you're gonna have to stop hugging people you just met and toughen up a bit," the skeleton told him, "If you don't, you won't survive more than a couple days."

"Well, thanks for the advice, but I don't think the universe is that dangerous," Eryll replied.

"Says the guy who's never seen it."

"That's true, but if the universe can make amazing things like stars and whole planets, it can't be all danger and destruction," Eryll reasoned, "Same with people. I mean, everyone has some good in them."

Keir smirked. This guy was either really naïve or hopelessly optimistic. "Believe whatever you want," he said, turning his back, "Just telling you what I know from experience. Anyway, I'd better go before Father makes the pilot leave me behind."

"Alright-y then," Eryll said, a small smile forming on his face, "Goodbye, Keir."

"Hm. Yeah, later," Keir replied without really thinking about it, slightly surprising himself. Without another word, Keir quickly walked onto the ship and the door closed behind him. A few seconds later, the silver ship was flying up into the sky. Eryll was still smiling.

'He was a little rough around the edges,' the prince admitted, 'but he wasn't all bad. No, not bad at all.' Despite what the skeleton teen had said, Eryll hoped they would meet again.

"My prince! There you are!" Looking over his shoulder, Eryll could see Ruby running towards him. "The Queen and I were wondering where you went off to."

"Oh, sorry for not tellin' you guys," Eryll quickly apologized. He looked back up at the sky. "I was just saying goodbye to Keir."

"Lord Obsidian's son?" Eryll nodded, and Ruby gave him an endearing smile. "Well, shall we return to your home, my prince? I believe dinner will be ready soon."

That caught his attention, especially since this was the night his mother usually cooked instead of the chef. "Yes we shall!" Eryll replied before racing back to his home, with Ruby trying her best to keep up with the energetic teenager.

Meanwhile up in the planet's atmosphere, Keir was back in his room. His father hadn't said a word about how long Keir talked to the Yonderian, but he had a feeling he would get an earful the following night when they were back home.

Staring up at the ceiling and bouncing an old rubber ball at his reflection, the prince's words still echoed through his head. How positive and happy and cheerful he was, and yet not a complete idiot.

Usually Keir was annoyed by those people. Correction - he was annoyed by Eryll, at least part of him. Another part found him interesting and 'not that bad'. Not enough to become friends with the guy, Grod forbid, but enough to not think about using him for target practice.

'To think, he's going to become king of that planet one day,' Keir reminded himself, the thought seeming so strange now. Since he would most likely take his father's place and rule his kingdom, they would probably meet again someday. When that day comes, would Eryll be any different?

He chuckled. 'Not likely, he'll probably still be an overly positive weirdo.' Catching the ball, Keir found himself yawning, so he tossed it to the ground and turned on his side. After only a few minutes, he was sound asleep.


	3. Chapter 3

**Alright, two quick things to mention. 1) For the next several chapters, they will either focus on Hater or Wander. I just think it'll help the story flow better instead of trying to squeeze two POVs in the same chapter. But don't worry, they'll meet up again eventually ;) And 2) this chapter contains a bit of violence that may upset people, especially when they see the source of it, so continue cautiously. I probably won't have much more of this type of violence in the story after this chapter, but I still want to give you guys a warning and I even changed the rating of this story to 'T' just in case.**

**Alright, with that said, enjoy! **

The buzzing of an alarm woke the sleeping skeleton, who then promptly shot a bolt of electricity through the clock, silencing it.

As Keir yawned, he could see familiar planets passing by his window. 'Did I seriously sleep most of today?' he thought, rubbing his eyes, 'Oh well, not like I have anything else to do here.'

By the time Keir had changed into a clean hoodie and got something to eat, the ship was just arriving at Skulltrion.

He couldn't help but be reminded of the fact that his home planet was the polar opposite of the one he had just visited, though he didn't really mind. There were no trees, but the rich black soil of the planet allowed for many foods to grow underground. The creatures who resided alongside the skeletons were nowhere near friendly, but could easily be trained with the right motivation. Small holes were scattered across Skulltrion's surface, occasionally emitting purple streams of poisonous gas that shot up like geysers, but the people has long adapted to these, so they were only a minor annoyance.

Houses made of various metals and rocks were also abundant throughout Skulltrion's surface, and in the exact center of the planet was the home of Lord Obsidian and his family.

A brilliant copper red with silver and black diamonds lining the walls and doors, the castle easily towered over everything else. Torches lit with blue flames stood outside of the front doors, accompanied by about a dozen skeleton guards. None of his parents' enemies dared to try and attack the castle, and only a few were foolish enough to attack on of their ships. It was a well known fact that they were one of the strongest kingdoms in the galaxy, and just by looking at their home, it was very easy to see why.

While he wouldn't mind redecorating the castle to fit his own style when he finally became Lord, Keir still welcomed the site of his home. Not bothering to wait for the announcement, the teenager simply pressed the door's button the second they landed and walked out. The soldiers of course bowed to him, but Keir pretended they weren't there and walked through the door that led to the throne room.

"Well, I see that you and your father have returned," a woman said after taking a sip from her drink. She was sitting in the throne next to his father's, looking relaxed but still dignified. Her choice of outfit - a silver silk kimono with blood red flowers that made her stand out from the cloaks her son and husband wore - wrapped around her skeleton body, making her look like a long dead princess that still manage to keep her beauty. Of course, all Keir saw was a crazy lady who his father married just because she happened to be the heiress of a wealthy family and had taken over a dozen or so planets. Then again, he was sure she married his father for the same reason.

"We said we would be home tonight," Keir replied as he walked further into the darkened room, "Are you really that surprised?"

"Not really, I was just making conversation, Keir," his mother smirked, "After all, what kind of son doesn't say hello to his mother after being gone?"

Keir rolled his eyes. They both knew why she even bothered talking to him. "Father didn't get the minerals, he's giving the planet three days to give them up before he tries to take them by force," the teenager stated in an exasperated tone.

"Damn it!" his mother yelled, throwing her glass against the shiny black wall. She scowled. "That moron. Doesn't he know that I need those minerals too?! Of course he does they're one of the most valuable and useful resources in the whole galaxy! I knew I should've taken Whitkalla while I had the chance, but that damned treaty he signed with Yonderia... idiot."

"I completely agree. Can I go now?" Still fuming, his mother waved him off and Keir gladly left. While his mother - technically step mother - wasn't nearly as bad as his father, the skeleton teen still wanted little to do with her. She could go from a dignified yet youthful lady to a furious, merciless witch in seconds, and Keir didn't want to be anywhere near_ that_, especially when his father finally came inside.

When Keir was nine, Lord Obsidian had married Lady Arcana, and even at that age he knew that the marriage was nothing more than a business deal, an arrangement to make both their kingdoms stronger. Of course there wasn't any love between them, there were even times when the couple would stab each other in the back just to get control of a planet despite the fact that technically it was under both their control. But then again, only one person can rule while the other has to just sit to the side and look pretty. Keir didn't care about his parents' relationship, not in the slightest. After all, he hated them, so why should he care if they hated each other?

Keir continued to his bedroom, not stopping until he reached the door. Like his bedroom on his father's ship, his home bedroom was very similar - right down to the clothes and food on the floor - but did have a few differences. For one, he had replaced his bed with a hammock. It wasn't much, but it was more comfortable than his old stiff mattress (although if he was being completely honest he would've wanted something like a waterbed). There was also a desk in this room which was completely covered in books and maps of the universe, as well as notebooks filled with strategies, plans and even designs for weapons. He would've called it a hobby if it weren't for the fact he was an heir to an empire; That meant it was a job, a duty.

When it came to conquering worlds, both of his parents had their own ideas. Lord Obsidian, for example, would simply go to any planet he deemed 'useful' and trying making a deal with them to sign over ownership and complete control. Of course the deals would be in his favor, and any loopholes that could be found would only help him. If the planet's ruler didn't agree, Obsidian had no qualms about killing the leader and persuading the next in line to take the deal. Of course, even this didn't always work, but his troops were strong enough to take on any challenge. Basically, one way or another, his father always got what he wanted. The 'Threatening Legal' strategy as Keir called it was efficient in the end and (usually) didn't take a lot of soldiers and usually kept whatever his father wanted the planet for in tact, though it could be a slow process.

Lady Arcana's strategy however was very different, being just as explosive as her personality. She would simply take a ship out to whatever planet she wanted, and simply drop a few bombs and missiles here and there just to show the planet she meant business (and maybe even to have some fun in her own demented way). Once the dust cleared, she would then find whoever was in charge and give them a choice to either surrender or die. No armies, no wars, just one very deadly skeleton woman. Of course this was slightly messy in Keir's opinion. What was the point in ruling a planet if most of it's civilians were dead or injured, then who would worship you or follow your commands?

So, not wanting to just copy either of their strategies, Keir took to spending most of his time building his own strategies and strengthening his mental and physical skills. Because no matter what, he was going to eventually take over the entire universe. This was something many rulers strive for, but none had yet accomplished. 'But if I could do it...' Keir thought, clenching his fists. If he could rule the galaxy, it would finally prove that he wasn't worthless, that he was better than his father. That was his goal, and he _would_ be the greatest ruler his planet - and the universe - had ever seen.

Smiling to himself, Keir picked up his red guitar that was leaning against the corner of his room. He tuned for a few minutes before finally playing something resembling a melody. He never wrote lyrics, the notes (and sometime screeches if he had it plugged into an amp) of his guitar spoke for themselves. Besides, he hated rhyming.

Picking up his headphones and placing them on his head, Keir then decided to just play along with one of his favorite heavy metal songs with the volume at full blast. Any amount of annoyance, anger, frustration or combination of the three had melted away by the time he finished. Instead, he felt like he was on top of the universe. 'Like... Like a superstar,' he grinned.

Suddenly, there was a small knock at his door and his scowl returned. "What?" Keir growled, tossing his headphones on his hammock.

"Sorry, I just wanted to say hi," replied a small voice as the door opened, revealing his step sister. Relieved it wasn't one of his parents, Keir's face softened. "Hey sis," he replied, "I take it you want to hang out in here?"

The skeleton girl nodded and rushed into the messy room, sitting down on the floor and clutching one of her stuffed animals that Keir personally thought were ugly as sin but never said a word about them. She was wearing a black tutu with a silver skirt with red bows on it, as well as the letter 'E'. The girl looked up at him and smiled happily.

Keir tried to hide his own smile as he turned the volume on his guitar down. "Alright Ember." He didn't have to tell the seven year old to be quiet, so he just started playing one of her favorite songs.

It was strange, and Keir still thought it was strange. When he heard he was getting a baby step-sister along with a mother after the marriage too, he wasn't exactly happy. In fact, there were still small holes in the castle from some of the tantrums he had thrown. But as his sister grew and he got used to having her around, the two started spending more time with each other - and without Keir even knowing it! It started when he noticed Ember sitting outside his bedroom when he practiced, listening and never making a sound. Eventually he started allowing her inside his room, where the two step siblings would have small chats that were - for lack of a better word - nice.

Ember was never annoying or bratty like Keir thought she would be, and while he wouldn't say they were the closest of siblings, they still kept each other company. It was the only real connection Keir had to someone - as small as it was - and he wanted to keep it that way.

"Did you do anything interesting while you were away?" Ember asked when he finished his song, knowing better to ask how his trip was.

Keir was about to say no when the face of Prince Eryll flashed in his mind. "I- No," he replied, shaking away the memory, "Boring as always, but at least Father didn't get too pissed about anything." Ember giggled slightly, and Keir smirked. "I know, don't swear." Adjusting his guitar, he was about to start playing again when a voice stopped him.

"Oh! There you are, Ember!" Both siblings looked up to see Lady Arcana standing in the doorway. "I was wondering where you were," she said to her daughter, "It's time for your elegance lessons. You want to be a great ruler like Mommy, don't you?" She smiled and Ember didn't reply, but she did quickly get up and stand next to her mother, disappointed she had to leave.

Keir scowled. 'She's just a kid, let her have fun,' he thought. Besides, it wasn't like she was next in line, so she didn't have to worry about learning stuff like 'elegance' until she was at least ten. "Oh, and Keir?" The teen looked up, blinking. "Your father wants you in the training room."

Keir gave an exasperated sigh. "Awesome," he said as he sat his guitar down. At least training was something useful, not like the occasional chores he was sometimes made to do as punishment that were no use to him whatsoever.

The trip to the training room only took a few minutes, but when he arrived only his father stood in the room, surrounded by weights and stun lasers. The lights were dimmed slightly and the air was tense - at least, that's how it felt to Keir, but the heir refused to show any fear. "Where's my trainer?" he asked?

"I gave him the day off since I figured I could teach you a lesson of my own," Obsidian answered coolly.

Keir stood still, staring down his father. "And what lesson is that?"

"One you should have learned a long time ago, or perhaps one I've already taught and you refuse to remember." The Lord began to walk around his son, Keir still didn't move. "After all, if you're going to be 'damn sure that you're better than me' when you take my place, you should get as much knowledge from me as you can."

That time, Keir visibly flinched. In the moment when he lost control and yelled at Eryll, he had forgotten that there were cameras placed on the outside of every ship in his father's arsenal, including his personal one.

His father had heard every word.

Before Keir could do anything else, his father forcefully turned him around, lifting him off the ground by the scruff of his hoodie. His yellow eyes burned into his son's, showing absolutely no signs of love or even respect. Keir only saw disgust.

The fabric was starting to burn, and Keir could feel electric pulses surging through him. The teenager grit his teeth, silently wishing it would stop, but that only made his father tighten his grip. After what seemed like forever, Obsidian dropped his son and then walked over to the main computer in the room, not even giving Keir a chance to catch his breath.

"Computer," he stated, "Training Level 20, now." Keir's eyes widened, but he didn't stay down. Instead, he stood up, swaying a little but raising his arms in preparation for whatever his father was getting ready to throw at him.

It was over in five minutes. After only five minutes, Keir was back on the floor, his body aching, his bones cracked and bitter tears threatening to fall.

"I suggest you don't forget this lesson, _son_," Obsidian told him, towering over him like a predator over its prey, "You will give me respect. Without me,_ my_ kingdom that_ I_ build, without _my_ wealth and power, you. Are._ Nothing_. Even_ if_ you do take my place," - he emphasized the word 'if' - "It will still always be mine. I hope you took this lesson to heart." With that, Obsidian walked away, and Keir finally let the tears fall.

'Damn him!' the teenager thought, using all his strength to keep from losing control of his power and possibly injuring himself even more. His injuries weren't the cause of the tears though, it was the fact that his father was right.

When the time came -_ if_ the time came - he would be given the planets his mother and father had control over like a dog being given scraps from dinner. They wouldn't be earned, they wouldn't truly be his. That really was the worst part of all.

The words of his father returned with a vengeance, and Keir let out a frustrated scream. "I wish I wasn't your heir! I wish I was just some commoner! Then at least when I did take over all those damned planets, at least they would be-!" He opened his eyes. "They would be mine."

Of course. This was the solution. He could hear a chuckle come from him, and then uncontrollable laughter. He was an idiot for not thinking of this sooner! Of course the irony wasn't lost on Keir. His father, in an attempt to break his spirit, had given him new hope.

Standing up, Keir smiled to himself. He would be the best ruler the universe had ever seen, a thousand times better than his father. It would take a while, a year or two at least, but he would do it.

Of course, he knew what the plan meant, but he would gladly endure it. The ending result would be more than worth it. "Computer," he said, "Reload Training Level 20." Keir ripped off his gloves, now able to feel the entirety of his power. The raw energy surged through him, the feeling easily overpowering the weight of his injuries for the moment.

Raising his hands, Keir smirked. This was only the beginning.

"Start!"


	4. Chapter 4

The warm sunlight shone through the small window, warming his fur almost instantly. It looked like it was a bit windy that day judging by the way the trees swayed. A nice day to fly a kite though. A small smile formed on his face. He could imagine flying a huge kite, or maybe getting one of those hang gliders. The wind would carry him through the clouds and across the planet... the glider could have engines too, and a small force field, that way you could catch the wind currents and by hitting them just right, you could soar through the atmosphere and...

"My prince? Are you listening?"

Eryll blinked. "Huh? Oh, uhh... Yes?"

The elderly Yonderian sighed slightly. "Maybe it would be better if I shut the blinds?"

"I guess it would be a good idea," Eryll reluctantly agreed, knowing he'd just start daydreaming again.

Another year had passed, his birthday just a few weeks prior. He was seventeen now, nearly an adult. Eryll also had more responsibilities, after all he had to prepare for the day when he would take the throne. Eryll knew how important these lessons were. He wanted to be a great king and make sure everyone was happy, and he did try, honest to Glorn he did! There were still plenty of moments however where he didn't quite accomplish his goal, whether it was listening to one of his teacher's lectures or remembering what time to return to his home.

As soon as he closed the blinds, his teacher - Science major who's fur had a greyish-green color to it - continued his lesson on two elements from nearby planets that combined could... what could they do? 'Shoot,' Eryll winced, he would have to look it up in his textbook later. Afterwards would be his Intergalactic Government lesson, and then he would finally get to take a break. 'Alright, you can do this!' Eryll told himself as he sat up a bit straighter, adjusted his crown, and focused squarely on his teacher.

To be fair, he did pay attention to his teachers, never looking at the clock even for a second and even taking a few pages of notes. Of course, when the young prince put his mind to something, he really put his mind to it. Luckily determination was a great attribute for a future leader.

But as soon as his government teacher finished his lesson and excused Eryll for his break, the teenager rushed out of that room like it was on fire. "Thanks for the lesson!" he shouted over his shoulder.

Turning a corner in the hallway, Ruby quickly moved out of the way. "My prince, where are you going? The dining room is-"

"Oh! Sorry Ruby," Eryll said, screeching to a hault, "I was kinda plannin' on eating somewhere in town today. But if you've already went to all the trouble..."

The royal adviser forced a smile. "Just please remember to come back on time today."

Eryll grinned. "You're the best, Ruby!" he said, giving her a huge hug before running off again. Ruby just sighed and gave him a small wave goodbye. With the weather still perfect, Eryll was more than willing to run down the path to the town, far too happy to take his time. Besides, he knew the way plus every little detail of the trail forwards and backwards.

Upon entering the town, he could see that plenty of other Yonderians had the same idea. Many were sitting in the grass or on the sidewalk eating a light lunch, while others were in pairs or small groups walking towards a diner or food stand.

Eryll would of course wave and give a quick hello to everyone he saw or recognized, but of course as casual as he tried to be, the people would still bow and be as polite as possible, just because of the crown sitting atop his head.

"Good afternoon, Prince Eryll."

"I would be glad to give you something to eat, Prince Eryll, on the house of course."

"Have a good day, my Prince."

Despite the smile on his face, Eryll couldn't help but wonder if these people really were as friendly as they acted like he was, or if they were simply doing so because they had to.

"Hey! Give it back!" Catching his attention, Eryll turned to see three Yonderians running down the street. Two of them - one a boy and one a girl that looked a couple years younger than the boy - had pink fur while the other boy had yellow fur. In the yellow boy's hand was a ragdoll, which the young girl kept trying to grab.

"Gotta be faster than that!" the pink boy shouted.

"Come on, give her back!" the girl cried, reaching again for the doll. The yellow boy tossed the toy to his comrade - who nearly ran into Eryll. As soon as he saw the crown, the boy's face paled.

"U-uh, excuse me Er- _Prince_ Eryll. I was just-" Remembering the doll in his hand, the pink furred Yonderian put it behind his back.

Surprisingly, Eryll gave the boy a small smile. "Ya know, if you wanted to play a game, there are plenty of ones that are fun for _everyone_. Get what I'm saying?"

The boy glanced at his friend, and then at his sister. They really were just playing around since they were bored with nothing else to do, but he could see that his sister was more upset than he thought she would be. Revealing the doll, the boy handed it back to it's owner. "Sorry sis, we really were just playin' around."

The girl hugged her doll tightly and then smiled at Eryll. "So, um, you wanna play hide and seek?" her brother asked.

"That actually sounds kinda fun," his friend added, and the girl nodded. Willing to forgive and forget, the three kids ran off towards a small forest where there was sure to be some good hiding spots. 'I don't know why some people always get all nervous around me,' Eryll thought as he continued walking down the street, 'They know I would never hurt anyone.' Maybe it was just another way of the townspeople trying to be polite. Whatever the reason, Eryll was just glad he could help out the little girl and give all three kids a fun afternoon.

He passed by shop windows and small carts, with every little thing catching his eye no matter how common it was. Turning a corner towards the restaurant that served his favorite sandwiches, Eryll could hear the faint sounds of plucked strings.

Turning towards the sound, he could see a brown furred Yonderian strumming a song on his banjo. Eryll had never heard much of the instrument, but he did like the sound. The music took over his body, making him feel even more carefree than usual as he started to dance in the street. He even started singing along, even if the lyrics he made up were simple. "Ba-do-do-da, dettle-dettle-de-de do-da! Deedeldeedel leedodee do-da! Debade dadi do!"

The banjo player smiled at him, giving him a quick bow with his head, and Eryll happily tossed a few coins into the sunhat the musician had next to him before continuing to dance down the sidewalk. As good of a mood the music put him in, Eryll would have been lying if said he didn't notice some of the stares focused on him. So, he settled down a bit as he walked into the sandwich shop.

"Turkey and a bag of chips please, with mustard." His eyes wandered around the shop, looking at the several tables that were filled. There were a few adults and little kids sitting at the tables, but most of the customers were his age. Fellow teenagers who were with their friends, planning what to do next and laughing at the stories they shared. As bad as it made him feel, Eryll couldn't help but feel a bit envious.

If it was simply his lessons and his duties keeping him from really having any friends, the solution would've been simple. He would just have to talk to his mom, and together they would rearrange his schedule to give him some freetime. Unfortunately, it wasn't that simple.

The moment that made him realize had taken place only a few months ago...

_The winter months had returned with a vengeance, but nearly everyone on the planet had a heat source to shield them from the court, and this of course included the royal family._

_His mother had been sitting on the loveseat reading a book while he was relaxing on the floor (technically, he was supposed to be working on his essay for his speech writing class but that could wait). Eryll had waited patiently and when he saw his mother close her book, he decided now was as good of a time as any._

_"Say, Mom?"_

_"Yes, son?" Eryll sat up and looked at her straight in the eye._

_"Am I... is there... Mom, why can't I make friends?"_

_Her smile slipped, and instead she gave a small, sad sigh. "Why do you say that?" Aurora asked, though she already knew part of the answer._

_"Well, I saw some kids my age in town today, and I thought it would be fun to hang out with them a little. I tried striking up a conversation with them, but I must've not been very good at it." Maybe 'good' wasn't the right word, maybe he just didn't know how to do it right. Eryll knew he was different, he may have been a bit naive but he still knew that much. He enjoyed exploring and trying new things and trying to live life to the fullest. But teenagers - even Yonderian teenagers - were more grounded than that, having long lost their childlike innocence while his was still alive and thriving. But again, that wasn't to say he was stupid._

_He saw the strange looks they gave him, and he could still feel their rejection through the polite phrasing. Despite this, he would still smile and give a polite farewell. But as he heard the conversation behind him return and go on just fine as if he was never there, it hurt - Glorn almighty did it hurt._

_"I'm sorry, sweetheart," Aurora said finally, pulling her son into a hug, "I know how difficult making friends can be at this age." She gave a sad smile. "Why, when I was young, I acted more like an adult than a child. I soon found that because of this I couldn't really connect with anyone. But whenever I felt lonely, I simply remembered what my father told me. Do you know what he told me?"_

_"What'd Gramps tell you?"_

_"He said that no one in the universe his truly alone. In order to survive, everyone has to and does look out for each other, even if they don't know it. And everyone has a friend waiting for them, they just have to find each other. It may take a while, but they will meet. Because in a world filled with billions and billions of lifeforms, loneliness is only an allusion."_

_"Huh," Eryll said, letting his late grandfather's words sink in, "So, I can make friends?"_

_Aurora nodded. "I know it can be difficult, Eryll, but you have such a kind, good heart. I know one day you'll have plenty of friends, you just have to keep trying, and always be yourself."_

_Eryll smiled at her, believing her one hundred percent. After all, she had never lied to him before, and he had even seen her invite her own friends to their home for visits. So, he would have to keep trying, and keep remembering. "Thanks Mom," he said, snuggling closer to her and growing sleepy._

_"You're welcome, my little prince," Aurora replied as the flames that filled the fireplace began to burn out._

Eryll smiled to himself. The group looked friendly enough, and surely they wouldn't mind one more. Heck, he'd even share some of his chips with them if they wanted some. He was getting excited now, so much so he wasn't even worried about fitting in with them. 'Yeah, I bet we'll have a lot of fun!'

*Ding* "Oh!" That meant his sandwich was done. Thanking the cashier, he took his bag. But as he said thank you, Eryll couldn't help but notice that the clock above the employee read 11:48. He had twelve minutes before his next lesson.

'I did promise I'd try to get back on time,' Eryll thought to himself. He looked back at the group of friends. Judging by the trash on their table, they were almost done with lunch anyway.

'Oh well, maybe next time.' With that, Eryll exited the restaurant and began walking home.

()()()()()()()

"I received a message from Queen Aurora. She should be back by tomorrow evening."

Eryll smiled. "That's great. Hope she's havin' fun."

"I'm sure she's being productive," Ruby answered as she and Eryll returned to their meals. Usually Ruby ate her dinner at her own home, but Eryll had invited her to stay and when she saw the somberness in his face that he was trying - and failing - to hide, she couldn't help but accept.

As much as he knew it was his mother's job, Eryll did wish she was home more often. Even if she was home more, she would most likely work late into the evening, but at least Eryll would be able to keep her company - and vice versa. Of course, the queen had kept her promise to take her son on more business trips with her. The young prince had been so excited the first time he went on one.

Unfortunately, he quickly learned that while he got to meet new people, not many of the leaders or their servants were interested in having a long conversation with him, just a quick hello. Then there were the schedules, which were even tighter than his usual ones, leaving absolutely no room for sight seeing. After a few more times, Eryll decided not to go with his mother anymore, slightly disappointed with how the trips turned out. He could definitely see why Keir didn't care to go on them.

Speaking of which... "Say, Ruby? Do you know if Mom's taking a trip Skulldrion anytime soon?"

"Thankfully not," the adviser answered, "In fact, I haven't heard much from them after the whole Wittkalla dispute, other than Lord Obsidian and Lady Arcana taking control of a couple more planets in the north section of the galaxy." She still wasn't completely sure why Eryll had taken an interest in the evil lord's heir. He had even tried sending a couple letters, but never received a reply. Of course, he'd never let it get him down. "They could have gotten lost in the mail," Eryll had said, "Or maybe he's just busy." Part of her actually wished they did become close friends, as ridiculous as it sounded.

'Oh well, can't change the past,' she thought as she finished off her plate. Seeing that Eryll was finished as well, she took his dish and excused herself to go place them in the kitchen. When she returned, he was still sitting at the table, lost in his thoughts. "Goodnight, my Prince."

Blinking, Eryll gave her a small nod. "Goodnight Ruby." She nodded back, and the two went their separate ways - Eryll heading towards his bedroom and Ruby towards the front door.

He took a bath in silence, cutting it shorter than usual and then dried his fur. He was tired, but not quite ready to sleep. So, he did what he always did:

Eryll sat down on his balcony and watched the stars. One by one they would appear, bring light into the dark sky. Some were big, others he had to squint to see, but they were always constant. Surprisingly, he didn't mind seeing the same stars each night. They would still make him smile. He searched for all the constellations he knew and even tried to find some new ones, but didn't see any.

The teenager let out a yawn. He could feel his eyelids getting heavy. "Guess I better hit the hay," he mumbled to himself as he stood up. But just as he was about to turn his head away from the sky, a bright flash made him wide awake. A shooting star.

He had seen shooting stars before, but they still excited him. He didn't make a wish, but he did watch it shoot across the sky until it's light faded away. "Have a safe journey," he said quietly, smiling as he walked inside his room.

Tomorrow would be mostly the same, and part of him didn't mind. Eryll had a happy life, he knew that and he did enjoy it. There were things about he loved and wouldn't trade for anything. So, why did part of him still feel unhappy?

'You know why,' Eryll thought to himself, pulling the blankets over him. But he couldn't just up and leave. His planet needed him, didn't it? He had skills to learn, skills he would need if he wanted to keep Yonderia a happy place and make his mother proud. His mother, if he left who would keep her company? He couldn't be selfish. For those very reasons, he would stay and fulfill what ever duties he had.

No matter how lonely he got or how much he wished to see the stars up close along with the planets they surrounded.

Letting his eyes close, Eryll's thoughts began to play out for him, showing him new worlds and amazing places that made him smile and mumble in his sleep.


	5. Chapter 5

**Quick shoutout to dalek: Your costume sounds awesome! Unfortunately, since I don't really go trick or treating/to halloween parties, I don't have a costume. But if I was, I'd totally try to put together a Wander costume :) Anyway, enjoy the chapter guys!**

Keir stood in front of the seven moving targets. This was good practice for attacking and defending at the same time since each target had a laser on it, which would fire if any targets near it were hit.

The seventeen year old shot an electric beam at the middle target, and used both his hands to block two attacks before firing back at each of them. More targets came out of the walls and floor and fired instantly. Keir made a force field around him, and the attacks were fired right back, destroying them. Turning his attention back to the original targets, he could see that they were coming towards them. He smirked. 'Well, I could use a little sparring practice too.'

Making sure to dodge their attacks, Keir used his strength to break the wooden targets in half with one hit from his arm. In no time at all, the remaining targets were defeated. "Training session, complete," announced the computer.

"Hmph," Keir said, brushing the dust off his gloves, "That was almost too easy." In the short time after he had fired his personal trainer, Keir had pushed himself to become stronger, and was now in training levels 40 and above.

"Strength isn't the only thing you need," said a slightly condescending voice. Keir knew the voice so well, he didn't even bother turning around. "Of course, Father," he replied without a hint of sarcasm.

Raising an eyebrow, Lord Obsidian left the room. Surprisingly, his son had been acting different, ever since the day he had 'taught' him to show respect. Keir had dropped the attitude, spent most of his time training and studying instead of wasting his time playing that worthless guitar, didn't say a word or complain when his father brought him on business trips, and even took to wearing his royal robes instead of hoodies more often than not. Of course Obsidian was still suspicious, he had been taught to never let his guard down after all. But after over a year of his son's behavior staying the same and not falling back on old habits, Obsidian simply checked it off as his discipline finally putting the boy in check and left it at that.

As soon as the door closed, Keir smiled. 'Moron,' he thought as he wiped the sweat off him with a towel. Once he finished, he headed towards his room. While he had also taken time to grow stronger, he also made time to help himself get smarter.

Of course it meant sacrificing his free time, but it would all be worth it. Soon, he would have all the freedom he could ask for. Opening a desk drawer, he pulled out a map that connected several planets that were known for having high quality materials as well as plenty of places to hide if he needed to. Part of him hated the fact that he would have to hide out like some runaway - 'Okay technically I will be one, but it doesn't matter!' - but it would only be until he could build enough ships and assemble some sort of army. But even if he already had these things, he would still probably lay low for a while. He wanted the entire universe to forget that Keir ever existed.

'That shouldn't be to difficult,' the teen thought with a humorless laugh. Unlike most royal families, he and his sister were almost never in the photos people took of their parents. His mother would strike a pose while his father would try to look as professional and as serious as possible, and neither of them were interested in including their children. There were even people surprised that the two had children. Making people forget he ever existed would be easy as pie.

Digging through his drawers, he found some old schematics and more maps that he planned on taking. He also found a prototype for a project he was working on. Pulling out a small metal box, Keir opened it to find two leather gloves almost completely covered with wires and metal. Obviously he would have to make an improved version once he had more room to work, but the plan was to create a device that would transfer his power to a robot warrior, using it to fight and virtually take out anything in sight. The robot was only in its design phase, but it still made Keir excited just thinking about it.

He only had a few more things to pack. A couple pairs of tennis shoes - something he enjoyed wearing more than the tight, stiff shoes he would usually wear - plus some hoodies and robes. There was also his tools, his guitar of course (he couldn't wait to finally play it again) and a few other small things. Overall, he was packing pretty light, but anything he didn't have he could either steal or make himself.

With nothing else left to do, Keir simply kept himself busy by doing things that wouldn't attract much attention like reading. He would have to wait until everyone was asleep to finally put his plan in motion, so all he could do now was kill time. After a couple hours, he went down to dinner, eating casually and barely showing emotion despite the fact that his mind was buzzing and his none-existent heart was pounding.

A quick shower, another quick run through his checklist to make sure he wasn't forgetting anything, and then it was off to bed. He didn't get any sleep, he didn't expect to. After all, he couldn't think of anything worse than accidentally sleeping in and screwing up his entire plan. When his alarm clock struck 1 am, Keir hopped out of his hammock and grabbed his bag.

There was just one more thing he had to do. Stepping as quietly as possible, he opened the door to his sister's bedroom, and walked inside. Ember was already fast asleep, and Keir wasn't planning on waking her up. He just wanted to see her one last time. Even if they hardly spent anytime together in the past year or so, Keir would admit she would be one of the few things he would miss about his old life. But she wasn't enough to make him stay. So, he gave her a very light pat on the head, and walked away. As soon as his hand touched the doorknob, a voice made him stop dead in his tracks.

"Keir?" He turned around. Her face illuminated by the small candles around her room, Ember didn't look like how normal children looked when they were woken up. There wasn't even a hint of sleep in her eyes. 'She knew,' was the only congruent thought running through Keir's head.

"I knew you were gonna leave," Ember told him, sitting up in her bed, "because you weren't happy. You stopped playing and you worked hard, so you could leave. Don't worry, I'm not mad." She didn't even sound upset. Or maybe she had already been upset, and now she was simply accepting it.

"Uh, yeah," Keir said quietly, trying his hardest to ignore the pit of guilt forming in his gut.

"Can I go with you?" Keir blinked. He wasn't expecting that, but at the same time, he wasn't surprised she asked. And when he replied with a quiet "No", she wasn't surprised with the answer.

It wasn't as if Keir didn't want her to come. He just knew that she wouldn't be happy. It didn't take a genius to see that Ember wasn't her mother, and she hadn't copied any of her stepfather qualities either. She wasn't evil. They could throw all the lessons and teachings they wanted at her, but her goal would never be to take over the universe or even rule her own home planet. Keir wanted her to find her own happiness, just like he was by leaving, so he said no.

"Alright," Ember finally replied, laying back down. She covered most of her face with her blanket, and Keir could only see her eyes. They were dull, but he could still see a hint of sadness in them, which was what forced him to open the door. But as he left, he could hear one final sentence from her.

"I love you, big brother." They had never said that to each other before. In fact, no one had ever said that to Keir before, and he had never said it to anyone else. It just sounded so foreign to him, so much so he couldn't even repeat it. Instead, he simply said, "Yeah, you too," and closed the door behind him.

The unexpected goodbye combined with his nerves about the plan growing made his body go into auto pilot. He couldn't remember how he made it downstairs to the garage, but he still remembered to release a small, invisible electric wave to disable all the security cameras. The ship he was taking was small, and while there wasn't much room, it could easily leave without being detected. Besides, he could always gut it out and rebuild it to be bigger.

Starting the ignition, Keir opened the garage door and slowly flew outside. Before he could even start trying to gain speed however, he noticed that outside was darker than the inside of his home. The outside torches had been blown out, and the stars were missing. All there was were dark clouds, and his only source of light were the small ones inside the ship and the occasional shot of lightning.

"Stupid weather man," Keir growled. There wasn't supposed to even be a chance of a storm tonight! Despite the fact that flying skills had been the one thing Keir didn't put huge amounts of practice into, even he knew not to fly in bad weather. It made leaving a planet's atmosphere even harder, and there was a 50% chance of it being fatal if you tried.

He could go back. He could go back home, have to plan his escape once again. He could risk having his father stop him, most likely finding out. There would be little chance of him ever escaping if that happened.

Keir scowled at the clouds. He had a choice. Risk his life, or risk his freedom. It only took him a couple seconds to make his choice. 'Screw the storm,' he thought as he slammed down on the gas, flinging his ship further into the dark clouds.

The lighting was more frequent now. The equipment on the dashboard was going crazy, with several alarms filled the small ship with noise, but Keir stayed focus. Suddenly, there was a huge thud and all the power in the ship was lost. 'I'm hit!' The ship floated in midair for a moment and then started to drop like a bag of rocks.

"Oh no, not tonight!" Ripping off his gloves, Keir grabbed the controls and pumped as much as his power into them as possible. He could see lights and dials work for a second or two before dying. The hard ground of Skulldrion was getting closer. "Come on!" he roared, squeezing more power out of himself. Suddenly, he heard the engines come to life once again. Pulling up, Keir brought the ship out of the nosedive and into the sky. He dodged any lightning he saw, and as the ship flew higher and higher, he kept it steady as it started to shake.

But almost as soon as it started, the shaking stopped. The alarms were silenced, but the lights stayed on. With the clouds behind him, he could see stars and nearby planets. He had made it. He had made it!

Grinning, he threw his fist up in the air, forming a rock and roll sign. "Yeah!" This was it. This was what he had been wanting for over a year, longer than that when he really thought of about it. He wasn't just an heir or Lord Obsidian's son. He wasn't someone waiting to take over the universe, he flew head first into it. He no longer had anyone telling him what to do or constantly criticizing him or putting him down.

He was no longer Keir. He was... He was...

"Damn it, I knew I forgot something," the teen said, scowling slightly. Oh well, he would think of a new name later. For right now though, the skeleton just wanted to find a planet and get some sleep. He had a feeling it would be the last long rest he would have for a while./

A few hours later, the clouds back on Skulldrion were fading, and everyone at the castle was wide awake. Lord Obsidian although decided to just stand back and watch the confusion. He could hear his wife screaming at the security guards, saying about how they needed better security in case someone heard about this and decided to steal another one of those ships. His stepdaughter was sitting quietly, but then again, what else was new?

As for himself, he wasn't angry, he was actually kind of amused. 'So, this was what you were planning, Keir. Why you wanted to get me off my guard,' he thought as he sipped his black coffee. 'Well, congrats, you just gave up everything for something that will probably never happened.'

Most people would be at least a little worried that their son would return one day to take over their home planet. Even Obsidian couldn't deny that his son was powerful, maybe even on the same level as him. But he still had absolutely no chance of overthrowing his father or even getting anywhere close to ruling the whole universe, at least in Obsidian's opinion.

So, Obsidian wasn't worried, not one bit. If his son wanted to give up everything he had just to prove he had the skills and strength to do what his father knew he couldn't... Well, at least he wouldn't have to deal with his attitude and his annoying guitar anymore.

"I'm going inside," he said unceremoniously as he took out his phone. 'Might as well have some breakfast,' he thought to himself. Ember watched him leave, and then looked back at her mother who was still yelling at the guards. She gave a silent sigh before running to catch up with her stepfather.

Glancing up at the ceiling as she walked, Ember couldn't help but wonder if her brother was okay. She hoped so, but she hoped even more that he would come back one day to visit her. 'Stay safe, Keir.'

()()()()()()()()

The planet he was currently on was filled with potential soldiers. One of the most recent movements throughout the universe was that there were now several planets with dozens of species living on them as apposed to just one, like a galactic melting pot. This was great for him, because it meant he could see plenty of warrior options without having to travel from planet to planet.

Unfortunately, his search had proved fruitless.

'Unbelievable,' he thought as he shuffled through his papers (luckily he had been able to make his ship a bit bigger and added a bedroom/office). Most of his applicants had been too small of a group - usually a gang of mixed aliens - or a bigger group with little to no real experience. There were also the ones who annoyed him, ones who couldn't and/or wouldn't work for an eighteen year old, obviously with little respect for him. Those people were kicked out automatically, and usually looking a bit more burnt than when they had come in.

He was so fed up with it all. 'Maybe I should just go to another planet,' he thought to himself as he lifted his feet, placing them on his desk, 'I'm sure there are plenty of people out there looking for a job. Maybe I can even stop by Doomstone, I hear those people are pretty tough...'

*Knock Knock!* Grumbling, he put his feet down. That's right, he had one more applicant to look at. "Come in."

The doors slid open, and he could hear footsteps coming towards him but didn't see anyone. Curious, the skeleton leaned over his desk and could see a giant eyeball staring back at him, nearly making him jump in surprise.

Actually it wasn't just an eyeball, it had a body attached to it. He (at least, he assumed it was a he) was wearing a simple black sweater and brown pants, and his iris was red, an eye color almost as rare as his own. "Lord Hater?" the eyeball asked.

There was a ghost of a smile at the mention of his new name. "Yes," Hater replied as he picked up a paper, "and you are... Peters?"

"It's Peepers," the eyeball corrected. Hater glared at him. "Um, and I-I'm hear for the job. I've discussed it with my people, and they've all agreed that they would like to join your army."

"Hmm," Hater said, leaning back in his chair and not looking too impressed, "Skills?"

"Well, we all have basic skills in combat and weaponry, as well as basic geographical knowledge. As for myself, I have some skills in leadership as well. Our species also has a sort of 'hive mind' function."

"Hive Mind?"

"Y-Yes, basically when we receive a command or if one of us gets an idea, it is easy for us to all work towards a goal quickly and efficiently." At least, that was part of it. It also had sort of a downside too. If one of them got distracted or decided to slack off, chances are the whole lot of them would follow. They could also be a bit naive at times, but they really did work well together. "So, our ability to follow orders is well trained."

Hater tapped the top of the desk with his finger. "You said that all of you wanted to join. How much is 'all'?"

Peepers thought for a moment. "Well, I believe there are about ten thousand of us on this side of the planet, with about five to seven thousand spread out across the rest of the planet. Then of course there's our home planet, and last time I checked... we had about two hundred and seventy thousand living there."

Hater's eyes widened. Now_ that_ was a huge army! So what if they were little shrimps? Their numbers could easily outnumber if not equal most armies, they had the basic skills, and they could follow orders. Anything else they could simply be trained to do - and unless Peepers was lying, that part should be simple as well.

"Well, I believe I've made my decision, _Commander_ Peepers," Hater said, standing up. Peepers' eye (face?) widened.

"R-really?! Oh, thank-!"

"You and your comrades will return here in one month to show me what you can really do," the skeleton told him, "and FYI, if you guys have your own transportation, that'll really help your standing."

Peepers was a bit stunned. But, as far as he knew, Lord Hater hadn't told anyone else to come back, so he assumed this was a good thing. "Whatever you say, Sir!" Peepers said, deciding to add a salute at the last second, "We won't let you down!"

"I should hope not," Hater said, hiding his own grin. The little eyeball left the ship, and Hater walked over to a window. He looked at his reflection, and for once was pretty happy with it. Another growth spurt had hit and he was now a pretty good height. His bones had also grown a big bigger, actually showing how strong he was. On his body was a black and red hoodie that he had lengthened and took the sleeves off of. He also attached small lightning bolts to the sides of the hood, just to make himself stand up. Honestly, when he'd first thought of the idea, he thought it would look stupid. Honestly though, it didn't look that bad, he still looked threatening and that was all that mattered.

He found himself thinking back at his soon to be enormous army. With that many hands on board, he should have a decent ship plus some great weapons and his giant robot in only a year or two. 'If all goes well, I should have my first planet before I turn nineteen,' he smiled, obviously happy at that.

Things were finally starting to coming together, and in a very short time, Lord Hater and his army of little eyeballs (he made a mental note to actually look up what species they were, or at least give them a cooler name) would take the universe by storm.


	6. Chapter 6

Slowly opening his eyes, Eryll could see the sun just poking out over the planet's horizon. 'Huh, guess I woke up early today,' he thought as he stretched, 'Oh well, might as well get a head start on the day.'

Running a hand through his hair, Eryll climbed out of his bed and headed towards the bathroom. As he brushed his teeth, he ran though his schedule to see if he had anything he needed to do that day, but surprisingly found nothing. After he turned eighteen and passed all his lessons, classes were no longer apart of his daily life - though he still made sure to remember what he learned. While his responsibilities had grown when he became a legal adult, he couldn't think of any documents or paperwork he had to go over. There weren't any leaders or other important people coming to visit the planet, so he didn't have any meeting to go to. He didn't even have to clean his room, he ended up doing that yesterday!

"Huh," said Eryll after spitting into the sink, "Guess I don't have any plans for the day." Putting his toothbrush away, he smiled at his reflection. He knew he would think of something to do with his day off. "Maybe I can take a walk somewhere... Yeah! Haven't done that in a while!" Humming a small tune to himself, he left the bathroom and began walking downstairs.

Eryll passed the dining room, knowing there wouldn't be any servers in there this early. Besides, while he didn't have a lot of experience with cooking, he knew how to make a simple breakfast for himself. 'Maybe some toast, or some waffles, with lots of syrup...' He licked his lips just thinking about it.

Entering the kitchen however, breakfast thoughts were dashed away when he noticed the big cake in the center of the room, most likely made the night before. By the smell, he could tell it was a white cake with delicious looking orange and yellow swirled frosting. Poking out of the top of the cake were nineteen perfectly placed green candles.

"Oh yeah," Eryll said to himself, chuckling slightly, "It is my birthday today, isn't it?" This wasn't the first time the prince had nearly forgotten his own birthday, though he always managed to remember his mother's, as well as the birthdays of various servants and maids that worked in his home. Resisting the urge to taste the tempting frosting, Eryll instead made his way to the toaster.

In only a few short minutes, Eryll had made his breakfast, eaten it and washed the dishes he had used, meaning he was now officially ready to take his walk. While he wouldn't have minded if someone went with him, the prince could still enjoy a walk on his own, he would just have to remember to return in an hour or so when his mother woke up.

Like all the other seasons, Eryll appreciated the spring season. It seemed like the scent of fruit was always in the air, and no matter what, being outside in the calm atmosphere always brightened his mood. It was also the time when all the little creatures came out of hibernation, and since he didn't have a pet of his own, Eryll appreciated this the most. It was always fun to watch the animals play and run around, even if they didn't stay in one place for very long.

Beams of sunlight were starting to poke through the canapes of the trees, warming the path slightly, and causing Eryll to slow his pace just a little and become lost in his thoughts. 'After all, what's the point of doing something if you can't take the time to enjoy it,' was what he always thought, no matter how many times he visited the forest. After a while, he let his feet do most of the work. He knew there was nothing dangerous to watch out for, so he simply let his mind think and dream while he walked further down the path. It wasn't until he heard a faint sound did he actually notice his surroundings.

'Did I just hear something?' Whatever it was, it didn't sound like the normal noises of the forest. It almost sounded like a-

*Pop!* Quickly turning his head, Eryll found nothing. "I know I heard it that time," he mumbled, there was no denying that. It was like it was right next to his head, it sounded that close. Rubbing the back of his neck, he could feel a slight dampness on his fur.

He was about to continue walking when the light of the sun reflected off something, immediately catching the prince's attention. Looking up, he could see a small, clear bubble. Most people would wonder what a random bubble was doing in the middle of a forest, but the thought didn't even cross Eryll's mind. He was more interested in the bubble itself than its origins.

The bubble floated down towards him, distorting his reflection and making Eryll laugh. He lifted his hand to touch it, but the bubble floated away. Following it with his eyes, Eryll could see that it wasn't alone. There were now several bubbles floating around him, acting like butterflies in the way they would float gracefully but move out of the way of tree branches and other dangers just in time.

It was at that moment Eryll did finally have to ask, "Where are you guys coming from?" As if answering him, the bubbles all started floating away in the same direction, towards what Eryll knew would be the lake. Of course he followed them, keeping up with their speed while also watching them closely in case they decided to change direction. The bubbles never did, they led him right to the lake just as he thought, where there were literally dozens of bubbles - all in varying sizes - and a single old woman.

"Well well, I see that you've found me," she said, as if she knew all along he would.

"Oh, hello Ma'am," Eryll greeted, "Hope I'm not disturbing you."

"Not at all, my boy. Come, sit." She patted the patch of grass next to her. Not the least bit suspicious, Eryll happily accepted the invitation and sat down. It was obvious she wasn't a Yonderian, but being closer to her, Eryll could see what she was. A third eye was hidden under her grey bangs, and she was the same size as him. Her skin was a pale blue, and she was wrapped in reds and purples. She was a Tresanee, and while her home planet wasn't near Yonderia, Eryll had heard of a couple planets where Tresanees were known to live alongside other species.

"So, I take it you're here on a trip?" Eryll asked as he watched her blow several more bubbles. She nodded. "Well, I hope you're havin' a nice time!"

She smiled. "I am, thank you. I come here every year, this planet always such lovely forests and people. Definitely one of my favorite places."

"Where else have you been? I mean, if you don't mind me asking," Eryll said, finding it hard to contain his curiosity.

The woman chuckled. "Oh I've been traveling for ages, but I usually stay in the Eastern part of the galaxy close to home in case something happens. I probably haven't even seen a fourth of what the universe has to offer, but I've still enjoyed every minute of it."

"I can imagine why," Eryll replied, "I mean, all those new places and people. Even if you go to the same places every year, there's still a chance you'll see somethin' amazing or meet someone knew."

"That is true," the Tresanee nodded, "Everyone should get to experience that, even if it's on a planet in their own solar system." She looked him straight in the eye. "But you haven't gotten your chance yet, have you Prince Eryll?"

Eryll was silent for a moment. "N-No. But it's fine, really. I like my home and-"

"I like my home too," the woman interrupted, "Who says either of us didn't? But truthfully, Prince, do you ever wish you could leave?"

Eryll looked down at the swaying blades of grass beside him, almost ashamed of his answer. "Yes. Practically everyday." He couldn't pretend anymore. He wanted so badly to leave, to experience something new even if it was just for a weekend. But even he knew once he had a taste of the world outside of his home planet, it would take an army of horses to pull him back into his old life.

But it wasn't just craving new surroundings. He was tired of doing the same things over and over. He was tired of not knowing anybody, of having no friends. Heck, it was his birthday and yet he couldn't have a party because he simply didn't know anyone! No matter how hard he tried, the other teens only saw him as a prince. Not just a prince, but a weird, sometimes hyperactive, just plain _different_ prince.

Even though there would be small moments of it, Eryll couldn't deny it any longer. "I'm not happy," he mumbled. He felt a bony yet comforting hand on his shoulder.

"Prince, if I may give you something?" Eryll looked at the woman as she held out the bottle of bubble soap she had been holding. On the side, the label read 'Orbital Juice'.

"I've never heard of 'Orbital Juice' before." The woman didn't look surprised.

"It's pretty rare. Only about a handful of planets produce and sell it. But take it from me when I say it's well worth the effort to buy," she told him. Eryll looked at her curiously, still not quite understanding. "You see, these aren't normal bubbles. You dream of seeing all that the universe has to offer, they can help you do that."

"Really?" Part of Eryll wasn't so sure, they were just bubbles after all. But at the same time, he felt like he could believe her, that he did believe her. Even so, he needed a bit more of an explanation. But before he could ask, the lady took out a pocket watch.

"My my, look at the time," she said, "You'd best be getting home."

"Oh! Right." Eryll started to hand the bottle back, but the Tresanee denied it. "Think of it as a birthday present."

"But, how will you get back-?"

"I'm able to find other ways of transport," she told him, giving him a kind smile. She then stuck out her hand. "Until we meet again, Prince." Eryll smiled and happily shook her hand before running off.

It only took him a few minutes to get back home. Stepping inside, Eryll looked at the small bottle in his hand once again. She had said that they would help him see the universe, to fulfill his dream. She then mentioned that she could find other ways of transportation. Would he really able to travel by bubble? It sounded like something out of one of the fairy tales he still loved reading every once in a while. "Can I even blow a bubble that big?" he mumbled to himself.

"Eryll?" At the sound of his mother's voice, Eryll quickly placed the bottle on a nearby coffee table behind a vase, hiding it.

"Oh, morning Mom," Eryll greeted. Aurora smiled and gave her son a hug and a kiss on the forehead. "Happy birthday, my son." Eryll returned the smile and thanked her. "I was thinking, I'll be busy tonight but perhaps we could go out for a special lunch this afternoon."

"Really? That sounds great! Thanks Mom!"Aurora giggled at her son, and the two headed towards the dining room.

()()()()()()()

Most of the house was empty. Most of the maids had gone home, and Eryll had just finished eating supper as well as part of his birthday cake, so the chefs left too. Even Ruby left, after wishing him a happy birthday and giving him his present (a watch) of course. The prince pretty much had the house to himself, which meant it was the perfect time to see what the 'orbital juice' could really do.

Earlier he had retrieved the bottle from its hiding spot and put it in his room, hiding it from everyone. Closing his bedroom door, Eryll decided to open up his balcony door to do it outside so the bubbles could fly out and not pop in his room.

Carefully, Eryll opened the bottle and took out the wand. Taking a deep breath, he blew several bubbles. While they were small and hardly useful, Eryll did enjoy watching them for a few moments before trying again. Three more tries produced the same result: Small, easy to pop bubbles.

"Hmm." Not wanting to give up, Eryll thought for a moment. He did hear somewhere that if you move the wand through the air, the air would make the bubbles for you. Although, it was supposed to be for making tons of tiny bubbles, but it wouldn't hurt to give it a shot. Dipping the wand back in the soap, Eryll lifted his arm, and moved the wand through the air.

Surprisingly, it only made on bubble, and it ended up being as big as his head. "Whoa," Eryll breathed, "That's... so cool!" He reached up, placing his hand just below the bubble, which started gravitating towards him. As soon as his hand touched the wet surface, Eryll figured it would just pop like a normal bubble. Instead, the bubble went right through his hand.

Moving his hand down, the bubble stayed stable, even when Eryll waved at himself. Only when he poked it did it pop. "Wow, these things are really strong," he commented, "Strong enough to, to use as a way to travel the galaxy."

Quickly, he dipped the wand and held it out in front of him. Moving it like a paintbrush, Eryll made a new bubble and this time, it was the exact size as him. He stared at his reflection for a moment before taking a step forward. His foot went through, then his body, and then himself. He was actually inside the bubble.

"It worked!" he grinned. Now all he had to do was figure out how to move. Taking a step, he managed to push the bubble both forward and up a little bit. A few more steps and he was about a foot off his balcony. Just as he was going to try to go a little higher, a strong wind gave the bubble a push right off the balcony and into the wind currents.

"Wa-hoo!" Eryll yelled, enjoying the ride. It was like he was flying! He could see birds and even some low clouds passing him. Looking under his feet, he could see the trees and his home back on the ground. It was a good thing Eryll wasn't afraid of heights, it was practically the opposite. He was having the time of his life!

After experimenting with changing the bubble's direction and height, Eryll decided it was time to head back down. Or rather, the wind decided when another strong current blew him down towards the balcony, and Eryll chose to bring the bubble in for a landing.

Almost the second after he popped it, Eryll was jumping and running around his balcony like a little kid, feeling more alive than ever! "That was _amazing_! I was actually up in the air, flying! I could see everything! I could even see some stars, I've never seen them so close! And the clouds, I could actually reach out and touch them! Gosh I don't think I've ever had that much fun, I gotta do it again! Maybe this time I could go even higher and-!"

Eryll stopped himself. He knew that if the Tresanee woman was telling the truth, that he wouldn't be able to control himself. He wouldn't be able to stop himself, part of him didn't want to.

Clutching the bottle, he knew what he had to do. So, he went back inside and spent nearly an hour working on a letter. He wanted it to be perfect, since it was pretty much his goodbye. Would his mother understand? Would she be sad, angry, disappointed? It was these thoughts that almost made the prince rip up the letter and pretend he had never seen the orbital juice in his life. But he couldn't do that.

This was his only chance, and he knew it. If his mother's life was any example, his freetime would just diminish from now on. The visits to other planets would be strictly for business, and if he did have time to invite people over, who would he invite? His mother was healthy and well loved by her people, they wouldn't need their prince for a long time. If he was going to leave, this was truly the best time to do it. Once he finished, Eryll looked over his letter one more time.

_Mom, _

_I know you're probably wonderin' where I am. Well, to tell you the truth, as I'm writing this I don't even know myself. But I know that I have to go out there and see the universe. Do new things, meet new people, maybe even make a few friends. Please don't be too worried, after all you and everyone else here have taught me a lot. I promise to stay safe, and I also promise I'll come home someday. I don't know when that day is, but I will come home. I couldn't leave you forever, but I have to go now._

_I'm feelin' so many things: I'm excited, and nervous, and hopeful, and sad and a whole bunch other things. But I guess if I had to sum it all up, I'd say this feels like the right choice for me. _

_I won't forget about my promise, and I won't forget home. I love you, Mom, but I have to say goodbye, for now at least. _

_Love, your son, Eryll._

Satisfied, Eryll folded the letter up and placed it on his bed along with his crown. He didn't need to pack much, he didn't wear a lot of clothes and any food he needed could be bought or found in nature (speaking of which, he made sure to grab all the money he had saved up from his allowance). There was one thing he did want to take though.

Opening up his closet, he took out a small brown box. Inside, was a green hat with a black band around it and a star pinned onto the center. It was a bit dusty, but still soft. He hugged it close. 'If you can see me, Gramps, I hope you think I'm makin' the right choice.' All those stories he had heard from his grandfather when he was young, sitting on his lap while wearing the hat that eventually got passed down to him. 'Maybe I'll have adventures as fun as yours.'

Placing it on his head, Eryll shut the closet door and went outside, which by now had gone dark after the sun had set. Surprisingly, the orbital juice bottle was still pretty full, as if he hadn't even used any. "I guess it's good that it doesn't take much to make a transporting bubble," Eryll said to himself. After all, the lady had said it was rare to find, so he would need it to last as long as possible.

Eryll created another bubble with easy, took a deep breath, and stepped inside. Almost as if knowing that if he waited too long he would change his mind, the bubble started floating towards the sky. Still, Eryll couldn't help but watch his home get farther and farther away until it was just a speck practically hidden underneath the clouds.

Before he could even get a chance to cry, something else distracted him. Something... bright. Looking away from the clouds below him, Eryll gasped. Stars were all around him, unlike the times where he was on a ship and could only see a fraction of them through a tiny window. They seemed bigger and brighter than they'd ever been before, and just by looking at them, he could feel a warm sensation overcome him. Streaks of blues and purples stood out against the blackness of space, adding even more to the sight. He could see the sun and planets and even a couple shooting stars passing by a few miles in front of him. Everything just seemed so huge, but it didn't make him feel small. Rather, it made him feel like he was a part of it. That this was his world now, his home, his life.

Smiling, Eryll pressed his hands to the watery surface, not wanting to take his attention away from this perfect view. He still felt sad, he would still miss his home. But in that moment, he was one hundred percent sure that he made the right choice.

For the first time in a while, he felt truly happy.

Despite feeling wide awake, Eryll laid down - giving the bubble a small push as he did - and let himself float forward towards a new planet, curious to see what wonders he would discover on it.

**Quick note: Thank you all so much for the continued support! Also, I'll probably stick with Wander for the next few chapters with only small hints and glimpses at what Hater's doing (sorry Hater fans). I feel like Hater spent most of this time taking over planets and growing his armada, and if I were to write about every little detail that would get boring. So, I'll just write small bits just saying what he's doing at this time and maybe even a couple scenes with him. Other than that, mostly Wander. And just to remind everyone: Hater and Wander are the same age, Hater just left two years earlier just because it sounds like Hater's been around for a while (at least that's how it sounded when Sylvia was talking about him in 'The Greatest' and that was before they officially met him, sooo). **

**Alright, keep reviewing and I'll see you in the next chapter! **


	7. Chapter 7

He peered over the table, standing on his toes because of his height, and looked at all the objects sitting on the shelf in front of him. There was a snowglobe with many plastic trees inside it, cheap shampoo and soap, sunglasses and- "That!" He pointed at the old, black camera. "I'll take that also please!"

The cashier rolled his eyes as he reached up with one of his four arms and grabbed the camera. "Alright," he said with a bit of an accent, "Addin' in the camera, your total is-" Eryll, not really listening to the man, took out his bag of coins and placed two silver and one gold coin on the counter. "And you, can keep the change," he added. Surprised but not willing to argue, the cashier took the money and handed Eryll the camera and the two bagged lunches he had bought.

"Thanks!" Eryll quickly placed the lunches in his hat but kept the camera out. "Now, if it's not too much trouble, could you tell me how to get to the city on the west side of the planet?"

"Well," the cashier started to say, not using too much enthusiasm, "You'se got two options. You can either wait here for a couple hours for the bus to come, and that'll get you there by morning. Or, you can go through the jungle." He pointed at the window and Eryll turned his head to look. The entire planet was colored different shades of green along with some blues and pinks thrown in, but the jungle that sat just a few yards away was probably the greenest thing he had ever seen. The jungle was also at least ten times bigger than the forests he was used to. It was like a giant curtain, and right behind it was a whole collection of plants and animals he had never even seen before! "'Course, that'll take ya three days to get through, two if you don't take a lot'a breaks, so I wouldn't recommend it."

Grinning, Eryll thanked the man once again and ran out of the tiny shack. Looking out his window, the cashier could see the traveler heading straight for the jungle, but he simply shrugged. "Whatever," he said, going back to reading his newspaper.

As for Eryll, he was so excited that it only took him about half a minute to reach the outskirts of the mighty jungle. To put it simply, after a month of travelling this was his first long stay on a planet and he was ready to enjoy every minute of it.

Of course this didn't mean he had spent the last month in his bubble waiting for a planet that looked interesting or had enough things to do on it, he still had to land on smaller planets for rest and to get more food. Besides, even if they were just short one-to-two day trips though, Eryll still considered them memorable, as well as fun.

On one planet, one with mostly buildings that crowded each other because the planet was so small, Eryll had helped an elderly man with his bags and in return, the man invited Eryll to his favorite diner where he told the young traveler various stories that he of course found interesting. It was also the first time he had even tried a 'hot dog', something he had never even heard of before. He still wasn't quite sure what all was in, he just knew that it was now one of his favorite foods.

A few days later, Eryll had landed on a planet which, coincidentally enough, was holding an annual festival that was only held on their planet. Of course Eryll wanted to join in the fun, and he was happily accepted. He could still remember the fireworks at the end of the festival, and all the strange yet delicious food skewered on sticks that he ate. He had already made a note to himself to remember the date so he could go again next year.

Then, just a few days ago, he had stopped on a planet that was so cold his orbubble nearly froze on contact with the planet's surface - with him inside! But even on a barren ice planet, Eryll could still have some fun. He ran into some winter athletes that had traveled there as well who had invited him sledding - which he was surprisingly good at - and then back to their cabin for hot cocoa.

When he really thought about it, he had experienced more in one month than he had in years on his home planet, though he still tried not to think about Yonderia too much. 'Just need to keep my eye on the horizon,' he always told himself whenever he started to feel too guilty or sad. Luckily, this wasn't too often.

Now, he was ready for a nice long stay on a planet, planning on staying at least one to two weeks. Zkara had huge jungles, a couple big cities, a beautiful mountain that Eryll couldn't wait to see - and maybe even climb, and many other things he could try and people he could meet.

"And all I need to do is get started." Camera at the ready, Eryll happily walked forward and almost instantly found himself surrounded by unfamiliar wildlife. "Wow! I've never seen flowers this big!" he said in awe as he spotted a tall vine laced with flowers that when bloomed were as big as his head, stretching to the very tops of the trees. He snapped a picture of them and took a few steps forward.

Glancing up for just second, Eryll spotted a creature that could only be described as a monkey crossed with a mouse, only it had three tails and no arms, only legs. Using two of its tails, it swung from branch to branch while its third tail plucked low hanging fruit and stuffed them in its face. "Aw, cute!" Eryll cooed, snapping another picture. The creature stopped and looked over at him. It then let out a loud squeak and swung onto a branch, quickly running across it. "Oh, I'm sorry little guy, didn't mean to scare you," Eryll apologized, not noticing a new creature sneaking up behind it.

Its shiny, brown, moist scales and size indicated that it was a ground snake, able to slither through any type of dirt as if it were as soft as mud. Most of the time it kept to underground prey, only really hunting above ground when something interested it. That said, being a decent sized, furry, appetizing creature, Eryll definitely caught its attention. The snake let out a low hiss as it opened its mouth - which contained not two but four pairs of fangs - and prepared to strike.

Hearing the hiss, Eryll slowly turned around... and gave the creature a big smile. "Hi there!" he greeted, raising his camera. The device flashed, and the snake let out a high pitched shriek before burrowing itself back in the ground. "Aw, I would've offered him some of my sandwich if he was hungry," Eryll said, slightly disappointed but able to quickly shrug it off.

For the next hour, he walked at about a snail's pace but was easily able to take in his surroundings that way. He climbed trees, picked fruit, watched and greeted different animals, collected water from one of the rivers that weaved through the huge trees, briefly watched the clouds, smelled the different flowers that grew on the vines and really just enjoyed being somewhere new. Everything he saw he considered 'neat' or 'amazing' or just simply worthy of remembrance. There was nothing unimportant or not worth seeing.

Even so, the newly decided nomad found himself ready for a break after a while, as well as hungry. "Lunch time," he said to himself as he sat against a mossy tree. After taking out one of his sandwiches along with some pieces of fruit and his canteen, it only took him a few minutes to devour everything. 'Guess I was hungrier than I thought,' he commented on himself as he started walking once again. Would he have enough food to last him three days? 'Eh, I'll be fine. After all, there's plenty of fruit here,' his smile returning as he started walking again, 'I'll just eat off the land tonight and then have my other sandwich tomorrow!'

There wasn't a set path through the jungle, so rather than stick to the same plants and fruit, Eryll decided to go off in search of something new. Picking a tree and drawing an 'X' in the dirt next to it, Eryll marked the place in his own path, and then took a left. Just as he thought, new types of flora and fauna made their appearance, capturing his attention and childlike wonder, which meant about a dozen more pictures and a hat full of fruit that he couldn't wait to try.

All in all, it took him about forty five minutes. "Guess I should start headin' back to the X," he told himself as he checked the time. Just as he was about to start walking back however, he could start to hear footsteps not too far from he was. Was someone else out there with him? He hoped so, it would be fun to have a temporary traveling partner, most likely they were both heading towards the same city.

Forgetting his own goals for the moment, Eryll quickened his place and headed towards the footsteps. After a few minutes, he could hear bushes and vines starting to move, just for a moment, as if someone were running through them. He was getting closer. "Hello?" he called out, "Hey, would you mind waiting up a bit? I just wanted to say hello!" The footsteps were getting louder and quicker, so Eryll started running.

Jumping through a bush, he found himself in an opening. A barren patch of grass surrounded by trees with an open sky above it. 'Nice place for a picnic,' the nomad thought before hearing another bush rustle. Keeping quiet, Eryll walked towards it, leaning in close. "Hel-?"

Suddenly, a long blue tail with tuffs magenta hair shot out of the bush and wrapped around his thin body, hurling him to the ground. Blinking in surprise, Eryll could only watch as the owner of the tail stepped out of the bush. "So, are you the guy who decided it would be a good idea to follow me?"

Standing over him looked like a cross between a giraffe and a kangaroo. She - Eryll could only assume that because of her voice - had blue skin and a short mane that matched the hair on her tail. She had a stern look on her face, not exactly happy with the traveler.

Eryll didn't really notice though, he simply smiled at her. "Wow! You're really strong!"

She gave a humorless laugh. "Of course I am, kid, I'm a zbornak. One of the toughest things in the universe and proud of it. But that doesn't answer my question." She leaned in closer in an attempt to intimidate him. "Why were you following me?" The little furry guy didn't seem like a creep to her, at least not the usual kind, but she didn't want to take any chances.

Still smiling, Eryll replied simply, "I just wanted to say hello."

"Hello," the creature dryly stated, unwrapping her tail, "Now will you leave me alone?"

Ignoring the question, Eryll quickly stood up and dusted himself off. "So, what's your name?" he asked in a friendly manner.

"What's yours?" the zbornak countered, though she wasn't sure why. Eryll hesitated before answering this.

Since the first time someone had asked him for his name after he left home, Eryll had decided to use a fake name. He hated lying to people, but he also hated the idea of being treated differently or even getting sent back home if someone recognized the name and matched it with his face. The first time, he had simply said the first name that popped into his head. Not wanting to keep track of a list of fake alias, he decided it would be simple to just use the same name each time. He just hoped his grandfather didn't mind.

"Folks call me Wander," he answered. The zbornak blinked.

"Wander? Huh. Well, I'm Sylvia, and you're obviously not from around here." After all, most people weren't dumb enough to sneak up on her or any of her species. "You're one of those, those star nomads, right?"

"Yessum," Eryll smiled.

"You don't see much of you guys anymore," Sylvia commented, finally deciding to let her guard down at least for a few minutes and sit down, "But I guess it would get kind of tiring traveling all the time and not really having a permanent home."

"I wouldn't know, I just started," Eryll admitted, "And frankly, I think it's one of the best things I've ever done."

Sylvia smiled slightly. "Well, ya got optimism kid, I'll give you that."

"So, are you heading to the city too?" Eryll wondered, sitting down next to her.

"No way, I live here in the jungle with the rest of the zbornaks. I wouldn't be caught dead in the city." She scowled slightly when she said this. After all, the zbornaks had lived on Zkara first, and the other alien species had moved in several hundred years ago. Luckily, the zbornaks were strong and their message of 'Don't mess with our jungle' came in loud and clear, so at least their homes were safe and the city folks kept their distance. She doubted that any of them would want her or any zbornak visiting their city, not that she would want to.

"Aw, I was kinda hopin' we could travel there together." Sylvia looked at him. Now he was just bein' crazy.

"What, just because I live here you expect me to play tour guide?" she snapped.

"No," Eryll replied, his polite tone and good mood not altered in the slightest, "I just thought it would be nice to have someone to walk and talk with. Walks are always more fun with a friend, don't ya think?"

'Man, this kid's just bursting with friendliness,' the zbornak thought. It was kind of annoying, but also kinda sweet in a way, if only for the fact that she could look at his face and tell it wasn't just an act.

"Well, as fun as that sounds, I think I'm going to stick around here, Kid," Sylvia told him, standing back up, "Good luck though."

"Thank you, Ma'am," Eryll replied, tipping his hat. Sylvia chuckled at that. "Say, would you mind...?" He held up his camera, and Sylvia made a face. She didn't really want her picture taken but... 'Oh grop, he's giving me the puppydog eyes! For cryin' out loud, kid!' She mumbled something under her breath before replying.

"Alright fine, just make it quick," she told him, "and don't be showin' this to anyone, got it?" The nomad nodded and got the camera ready. He then stood next to Sylvia, wrapping an arm around her long neck. If it was anyone else, Sylvia probably would've smacked them upside the head. But when the little nomad did it, it seemed like such a friendly gesture, and all he really wanted was to make sure they were both in the picture. Letting a small smile onto her face to slightly match Eryll's huge grin, the two held still as the camera snapped a quick photo.

"Yep," Eryll said when he looked at it, "That's definitely a keeper!" Putting it away, he turned back to Sylvia. "Well, goodbye." He tipped his hat as he said this, making her chuckle slightly.

"Yeah, see ya kid." No sooner had he started walking away was there a small but still easily heard growl. Sylvia raised an eyebrow.

"Huh, I just ate an hour or so ago," Eryll mumbled to himself.

"Don't tell me you forgot to pack food before you decided to travel the universe," Sylvia said, making him turn to look at her.

"Oh don't worry, I've got plenty here," Eryll replied as he took off his hat, fishing out a bright yellow piece of fruit.

Sylvia looked at him, dumbstruck. "Wait, that's what you've been eating?"

"Yeah," Eryll replied, not noticing her tone, "And I have to say, these are delicious!"

"And only feed a mouse," Sylvia added, "Most of the fruits here are just juice and skin with nothing else really in them." Now that Eryll thought about it, the fruit he ate never really had anything inside it other than just juice and a couple seeds. They had been messy, but he had still thought they were fine to eat. "If you eat nothing but fruit here, you'll be half starved by the time you even get close to the city."

"Huh," was all Eryll could really say. He glanced over at Sylvia. "You wouldn't happen to know where to find a more filling fruit? Or maybe a vegetable patch somewhere?"

She could've just told him the places in the jungle where anyone could scavenge some relatively filling food, but would he even make it there? They were a good ways away, plus most of the areas were filled with predators. Of course, she could take any of them on with easy. 'But him?' Glancing over at him, she could see him distracted by a multi-colored rainbow butterfly flying above him. She sighed. Not a chance.

So, she was left with really one option. 'I really hope I'm not getting soft,' she thought before standing up. "Okay kid, now don't be expecting something like this from me again, but I know where you can get a decent meal that'll get you through most of your trip."

"Really?" Eryll said, his smile returning once more, "Where?"

"Follow me," Sylvia mumbled, turning around and walking back towards the thick jungle. She could hear Eryll lightly jogging behind her to keep up, no doubt with a huge grin on his face. She was already slightly regretting her decision. 'The guys are never going to let me live this down.'

**Another introduction-type of chapter. Hope you guys don't mind that I brought Sylvia in so soon, it's just that I feel that while Wander could be fine on his own, having a friend beside him is what really makes the journey fun. Even if he can take care of himself, he does need her, and I feel like they've been best friends for quite some time, so in my headcanon they meet very early on when Wander first starts travelling. Anyway, these next few chapters should be really fun to write! Please review, and I'll see you guys next time!**


	8. Chapter 8

They had been walking for about an hour and a half, but despite the almost constant growls from the stomach, Sylvia could only hear positive attitude in his voice. While others probably would've wanted to stop for twice as many breaks and would spend most of them bellyaching, but Eryll hadn't uttered a single complaint.

However, that didn't mean he was silent as they walked. Far from it.

"So, have you lived here your entire life? Do you have any family? What are they like? I bet they're fun! What are some of your favorite things to do? Have you seen every part of this jungle? Have you gone to any other jungles on the planet? Wow, look at that sunset! The way it goes under the trees and makes the sky look all orange and pink, it's amazing don't ya think so, Sylvia? Gosh, I bet it'll be gettin' dark soon. Do you know any of the constellations near here?"

The zbornak abruptly stopped and turned to look at him, taking a deep breath. "Yes, yes, slightly annoying but I love them, sometimes, I like fighting but anything's really fine with me, I've seen most of the jungle but not all of it, no, yeah I'm sure it's great, and no." She nearly had to gasp for air at the end of her answers, but kept her composure. "So, anymore questions?" Sylvia asked.

"Hmm, nope! I'm good!" Eryll replied.

"Good." Sylvia started walking again, hoping maybe she could get a little peace and quiet. "By the way, we're nearly there."

"Great! So where are you takin' me-ah!" She looked over her shoulder. "Sorry!" the nomad said, picking himself off the ground, "Tripped, but I'm fine!" Of course, Sylvia could see the slight bags under his eyes, and his stomach was as loud as ever. She had to hand it to him for keeping a good mood despite the long side trip, or maybe he was just delirious. The thought of giving Eryll a ride the rest of the way crossed her mind, but she immediately shook it away.

'It's bad enough I'm bring some stranger home,' she thought, 'If I walked in with him sitting on my back like I was some space mule, they'd never let me live it down!'

"As I was saying, where are you takin' me?" Eryll asked again, looking at her curiously.

"My place," Sylvia answered simply, "I'm sure we'll be able to get you a decent amount of food there."

"Aw, well I don't want to impose!"

"I'm sure your stomach will argue against that," Sylvia said with a smirk, "Look kid, we'll have plenty of food, so it's fine." At least, she was mostly sure it would be fine.

"Well, I much appreciate it, friend." Eryll replied. Her smirk slowly turned into more of a small smile.

"Yeah, no problem, kid."

Sylvia had been right when she said the journey wouldn't be too much longer. As they walked, they could hear more voices and even smell some food. Walking on his toes, Eryll could start to see some more zbornaks through the tall bushes, but just barely. Before he could get a better view, Sylvia stopped once again. "Okay kid," she said, "I need you to just stay behind for a sec, I've gotta do something real quick and then you can come out. Got it?"

"Yessum," Eryll replied. Satisfied, Sylvia walked through the bushes and started heading towards the main cave. Before she could reach it though, a pair of arms wrapped around her, trapping her.

"You sure are late coming home, sis," said a very familiar and slightly annoying voice, "What happened, get yourself into too big a fight again?"

"Well," Sylvia said, grunting slightly and trying not to breathe in her 'enemy's' horrible smell, "I wouldn't call it a big fight, but..." She wrapped her tail around his leg before springing upwards and body slamming him to the ground. "I'd say I just won."

Her brother scowled. "Lucky shot," he mumbled.

"Sure Fran, just like the other several thousand times I beat you," Sylvia retorted. They could both hear laughing behind them.

"Well then, I guess it's Silly: seven thousand and one, Francis: absolutely nothing."

"Shut up, Craig," said the other male zbornak, picking himself off the ground. Of course, Craig was ignoring the glares from both his brother and his sister.

"What did I glorpin' tell you about calling me 'Silly'?"

"I believe it was something along the lines of 'if I ever did it again you'd find the angriest hornets nest in the jungle and hang me by the tail next to it'," Craig recalled, smiling in amusement, "But you wouldn't do that to your favorite older brother, would you?"

"Yeah, right," Sylvia said, chuckling. In the midst of all the 'sibling bonding', she had nearly forgotten about the little orange nomad watching from the bushes. "Hey guys, do you know if Dad's home?"

"Nah, he and the other hunters are still gathering meat," Francis answered.

"Damn." Now not only would Eryll be a surprise to him, but he would be a surprise during dinner. Her father hated surprises, and you never interrupted a zbornak's meal no matter what you did. Combining the two together, and Sylvia was pretty much sending Eryll into a whole world of trouble. Still, she had promised him a meal. 'And who knows, maybe Dad won't be back until the kid's gone,' she thought before looking back up at her brothers.

"Okay guys, I need you two to promise not to spread this around," Sylvia told them, lowering her voice slightly, "but I brought some kid over for dinner."

"You what!" Francis shouted in disbelief, "What, next you're gonna tell us he's from the city too! Sis, this is the dumbest idea you've had since the time you decided to hotwire that jeep someone left in the jungle!"

"I believe the idea was yours, I just decided to help so you wouldn't electrocute yourself," Sylvia argued, "and besides, this isn't nearly as bad as some of the stupid stuff you've done, Francis!"

Before Francis could reply and another argument could start up, Craig interrupted him. "Okay okay, let's just see this guy, Sylvia." Depending on what the guy looked like, their dad might not be quite as mad about the outsider joining them for dinner.

Sylvia nodded, and then turned to the bushes. "Okay Wander, go ahead and come out." Immediately, Eryll stepped out of the bushes, his eyes taking in everything he couldn't see before.

It was another clearing in the jungle, only this one had several straw huts and a huge cave inside of it. He could see many zbornaks, male and female, young and old. It seemed like the females, like Sylvia, were one solid color like blue or pink while the males had spots of color on their coats as well as sharp horns. He then looked at Sylvia's two brothers, both with horns but different colorings. Craig - which he could only assume was the oldest - was green with dark green stripes and a blue mane. Francis on the other hand was blue like his sister, but had purple spots as well as a purple mane.

"Where'd you even find this guy?" Francis sneered, "looks like some tourist."

"Actually he calls himself a nomad," Sylvia corrected.

"Makes sense," Craig added, "I think I've heard of these guys."

"Hello there," Eryll waved, "Guess I should officially introduce myself. Name's Wander, and it's a pleasure to meet y'all!"

The middle zbornak brother snickered at Eryll's accent. "Uh huh," he bent his neck down to Eryll's level, "and what makes you think 'y'all' can eat dinner with us, kid?"

"Well, I figured it would be rude to deny an invitation from a friend," Eryll answered, glancing over at Sylvia, "plus I thought it would be nice to eat dinner with people for a change. Makes for a lot of great table talk." He smiled. "I like your horn, by the way."

Francis blushed while his two siblings tried to hold in their laughter. Judging by the curious look the nomad was giving them, Francis could guess that he didn't know what commenting on someone's horn meant in zbornak culture. "S'everything alright?" Eryll finally asked.

"Uh, yeah, fine," Francis replied quickly.

"Well, not sure how Dad will feel about him, he is still an outsider," Craig started to say, "but he seems like a fun guy, and at least Mom will like him."

"Yeah, but Ma likes everybody." Grabbing Eryll's arm, Sylvia started to lead Eryll away from her brothers. "Come on then, let's get you fed and then back on the road. My home's just down here."

"You live in a cave?" Eryll asked in slight disbelief. Feeling a twinge of anger, Sylvia turned to look at him. "Yeah, and it's what's wrong with-"

"That's so cool!" Sylvia blinked. "I've never even been inside a cave before! Come on, let's go!" Letting go of her arm, Eryll rushed ahead into the entrance of the cave. Sylvia smiled slightly. She should've known better.

"Hey kid! You don't even know where to go so wait up!" Eryll waited, and the two walked deeper into the cave, which was thankfully lit with several torches. There was a huge center of the cave, most likely used as a communal spot judging by all the zbornaks who were there just sitting and chatting or watching their children play and wrestle each other. Connected to the spot were over two dozen openings, but they were all covered by huge stones. 'Makes sense to use them for doors when you live in a cave,' Eryll thought to himself as he followed Sylvia over to the opening in the middle of the circular wall.

Not even breaking a sweat, Sylvia moved the giant stone and walked inside. "Hey, Ma? I'm home!"

"I'm in the kitchen, dear!" Continuing to follow Sylvia, Eryll - who had taken off his hat in politeness - glanced around her home. There were several small rooms with furniture inside them, as well as two big rooms - one used most likely as a living room complete with soft rugs, pillows and a radio for entertainment, the other was a kitchen with a cooking pot, small fireplace, a table and various other kitchen items.

Standing by a sink carved out of a rock, Eryll could see another zbornak, who was stirring some sort of stew (which was starting to make his mouth water). She had a purple coat with a light pink and very curly mane. On her hump was a yellow blanket with pink polka dots on it. "How was your day, dear?"

"Fine. Look Ma, I actually brought someone home with me," Sylvia started to say, getting her mother's attention, "He's making his way to the city, but he needs some-"

"Why hello there!" The purple zbornak was already over by Eryll, cooing over him. "Aren't you the cutest thing? Of course you can stay for dinner!"

Eryll blushed slightly. "Thank you Ma'am, it's nice to meet you."

"And a little gentleman too!" she squealed. Sylvia rolled her eyes.

"Geez Ma, give him some space. I wouldn't get too attached to him, Dad probably won't let him stay much passed dinner, if that." Maybe it would just be easy if she just put together a bagged dinner for the nomad and send him on his way.

"Oh huff," Sylvia's mother replied, "You leave your father to me! Just because that man isn't one for strangers doesn't mean I'm going to send your friend away hungry!" While Sylvia wouldn't exactly call the kid she barely knew a friend, she was glad her mother was sticking up for him. Sarah was one of the kindest and well-mannered zbornaks on the planet, hardly ever picking a fight with anyone, but that didn't mean she couldn't win one - even when up against their father. In fact, Sylvia was pretty sure that was the reason he fell for her mother in the first place.

"I'm sure your both so hungry!" Sarah said suddenly, "I'll make sure to get the food out as fast as I can!"

"Thanks Ma. We'll just wait at the table until then." She looked over at Eryll. "Hope you don't mind lake water, kid."

"Sounds just fine to me!" While Sarah continued cooking, the three of them continued talking, although most of it was just Eryll and Sarah asking each other questions while Sylvia would occasionally comment on something. Still, it was enjoyable. Just as they were starting to set the food out, Francis and Craig came inside and sat down - after Sarah made them wash their hands of course. "Honestly, you boys and dirt," she had said, "Your sister's just as active and she manages to keep herself clean for dinner."

"Not unless you count the time we dared her to swim in the swamp on the south side of the jungle and she actually did it," Francis said under his breath. Using her tail like a whip, Sylvia hit her brother's back. Of course when he turned to look at her, Sylvia was sipping her water and acting like nothing happened. Francis growled at her while Eryll and Craig just smiled in amusement.

"Alright kids, eat up!" Sarah announced once the final dish was placed. There was almost a cloud of steam hanging above the table from all the hot food.

"Wow, Ma'am, this looks incredible!" Eryll said in awe as he looked at the huge array of food. There was fresh bread and rice, plenty of vegetables both steamed and cold, various meats that while he didn't recognize still looked delicious, berries, stew and even homemade chocolate.

"Hope you can fight for your food, kid," Sylvia said, getting his attention, "because at our table, it's all you can eat but only what you can manage to get you hands on." With that said, the cyan zbornak picked up the nearest eating utensil and started spooning food onto her plate. Her two brothers and even her mother were doing the same. Of course, Eryll didn't believe they would run out of food, but his hunger still made him grab his food as quickly as possible. There were a couple times where two zbornaks wanted a certain piece of meat or the last bit of a certain dish, but those arguments didn't last very long.

Once all their plates were filled - at least for the moment - the only noise was chewing and light conversation. Eryll didn't participate much in talking this time, since most of the time his mouth was full, but he did listen intently and even laughed at some of Francis and Craig's funny stories. All in all, Eryll thought it was kind of fun eating with them.

"Yeah, it's too bad it took ya about three more times to finally learn your lesson." "Aw, come on Silly, be nice." "Do _not_ call me that!" "Would anyone like more? There's still plenty more to go around!" "I'll take some more of those potatoes, Ma!" "Same here - Gah! Jinx! You know the rules Craig, gimme some of your food!" "Fine fine, here you can take my carrots." "Hey! I don't want those!" "Then give them here, I like carrots."

As she reached for another piece of bread, Sylvia noticed that there was only a bit of sweet corn yet. She noticed earlier how Eryll had taken quite a bit of it earlier. 'Might as well offer before someone else gets their hands on it,' she thought picking up the bowl. Turning to look at the nomad, she paused for just a moment.

She watched Eryll as he ate and listened to another one of her brother's stories. Of course he looked happy, he always looked happy. But there was something else there, something a bit more hidden. Content? No, that wasn't it, though it was definitely there. Maybe, sadness?

"Hey, Wander?" Blinking, the little nomad turned to look at her. "Oh, yeah Sylvia?"

"Uh, you want the last of the corn?" she asked. Eryll nodded, thanking her. As she scooped the last of it onto his plate, he spoke up again.

"And, thanks again for inviting me to dinner." His voice was surprisingly quiet. Her eyes flickered over at him again. "I, well gosh... I'm just having a great time! Who would'a thought a meal could be this much fun, huh?"

Sylvia smirked. "Yeah, sure kid. But don't get too mushy about it. After all, I wasn't gonna let you starve out there, not exactly the best first impression for my planet or my people." Still, she found that her smile stayed just a bit longer than usual.

Just then, the five diners could hear the sound of a boulder sliding across the ground. "Oh! Sylvester's home!" Sarah said happily. She looked over at Eryll. "That's Sylvia's father. I'm sure he caught more yummy things to eat, although I won't be able to cook them tonight. But I'm sure if you stop by tomorrow, you'll be able to enjoy them!"

Sylvia frowned. 'If he's even allowed to come back tomorrow.' She mentally smacked herself. 'Come on Sylv! Florbin' get it together! Kid's a two and a half foot tall furball. No one in the universe can be intimidated by him! Maybe Dad'll get a bit annoyed by him, but-!"

The sound of two big feet was coming towards the kitchen, and after a few seconds, a male zbornak stepped through the doorway. He had a purple coat with dark blue stripes and a black mane with grey streaks in it. Of course being a male he had a horn on his snout, he also had a bit of a potbelly, but that didn't make him look any less strong. Despite the huge haul of meat he had hunted throughout the day, he did not look happy, not one bit.

"Hello dear!" Sarah greeted, either not noticing or simply trying to put her husband in a better mood. Craig kept quiet while Francis began putting more food on his plate just in case he had to leave the room if things got ugly. Quickly, Sylvia turned to Eryll, but found that the little nomad wasn't here. 'No!' she silently screamed, 'Where did he-?!'

"Hello sir!" Slowly feeling with dread, she turned to see Eryll standing right in front of her glowering father. "I have to say it is nice to finally meet you, I've heard great things about you! Heh, guess I should introduce myself. Most folks call me Wan-"

In one swift move, Sylvester wrapped his tail around Eryll's ankles and hung him upside down like a freshly hunted carcass. The nomad managed to grab his hat as Sylvester did this, which was lucky otherwise it would've been left behind. His wife gasped while Sylvia stood up from her seat. "Dad! What are you-!"

"I don't know who invited you here, but as the head of this family, _I_ make the rules," the elder zbornak told him, actually making Eryll feel a bit of fear, "and I say, there shall never be outsiders at my table. _You_, will leave."

Before anyone could stop him, Sylvester stomped out of the kitchen and out his home's entrance, where he promptly through Eryll a good three feet from the interior cave. Landing hard, Eryll only managed to lift his head slightly as he watched the zbornak grab the giant bolder and pull it in front of his home, effectively kicking him out.

He could only sit there for a few minutes before managing to stand up once again. He could feel tears prickling behind his eyes, but he held them back. "I guess that's it then," he said sadly, placing his trusty green hat back on his head.

He hadn't said anything, but there was a reason that simple family meal. He didn't know why he missed it so much, he didn't even experience it that much back home, and it was totally different. But still, the idea of everyone eating and talking and laughing together, it had caused an ache in his heart while at the same time warming it.

Not only that, but he liked being with a certain member of the zbornak family the most. He had spent the past few hours talking with Sylvia, slowly getting to know her. Even if it wasn't a lot, it was more than he had with anyone else aside from his mother and Ruby. It felt like he was finally making a close friend.

Dragging his feet slightly as he walked out of the deep cave, one thing was still on Eryll's mind.

"I didn't even get to say goodbye."


	9. Chapter 9

As soon as Sylvester had re-entered the kitchen, the screams of his daughter rang through his ears.

"Dad! How could you just go and throw him out?!" Sylvia yelled, "He wasn't doing anything wrong! I just invited him for dinner just so he wouldn't starve! What, what the glorp is wrong with you?!"

"Watch your mouth, young lady," Sylvester finally replied, narrowing his eyes, "I believe I have taught you that outsiders - no matter who or what they are - cannot be trusted."

"He was just some kid travellin' through Zkara!"

"As far as you know he could have been a hunter, a collector, a spy from Lord Hater, he could have even been carrying some disease that's lethal to zbornaks!" her father argued, getting louder now, "Our herd is at threat every day, and you can't just go and make irresponsible choices without-"

"For cryin' out loud, Dad! I get it! You were around when other aliens started comin' here, you know what they tried to do, but guess what? Nobody's tried to mess with us for decades, centuries even! We're tough, we're strong, and even if someone did try to take us down, not only could we easily kick their butts, I don't think a star nomad _barely out of his teens_ would be the one to do it! Just because you're paranoid about every florpin' thing doesn't mean you can be a jerk!"

"Young lady!"

"ENOUGH!" shouted a voice louder than the two of them combined. Both father and daughter looked over at Sarah, who was no standing and glaring at the both of them. "Enough, both of you!" She looked at Sylvia. "Sylvia, you have the right to complain but watch your tone with your father! And you!" She looked at Sylvester now. "How dare you kick out someone who was not only hungry but wasn't doing any wrong without even asking me!"

"I am the head of this family, and what I say-"

Oh, well then Mr. Head of the family!" Sarah interrupted as she picked up a bowl of plain rice with her tail, "As Head of Making Meals, I say you need to eat your dinner outside!"

"What! You can't-!" His wife glared at him, giving him a look that said 'I don't want to fight you in front of our kids but I will if I have to'. He growled. He may had fallen in love with his wife's strong spirit, but that didn't mean it didn't anger him at times. "Fine, I will. I'll return as soon as I'm done." With that, he took the bowl of rice, grabbed some of the meat he had hunted that day - thankfully raw meat didn't effect zbornaks like it did other species - and went outside. Sitting next to their 'front door', he took some pleasure in noticing that the stranger was long gone. 'Good riddance,' he thought.

Sarah let out a small huff. "Sweetie, I-" She turned to look, but her daughter was already gone, most likely in her room. Sighing, she sat back down, though she didn't see much point in continuing dinner now that the pleasant atmosphere was completely destroyed. Feeling the same way, the two brothers cleaned their plates and then helped box up leftovers.

Meanwhile, Sylvia was indeed in her room, punching several holes in the thick, cave walls of her room. She was beyond angry and frustrated with her father's behavior, even furious sounded like an understatement! After about twenty minutes though, her anger finally started to fade, at least enough to make her stop punching the walls. Collapsing on her bed, Sylvia glared up at the ceiling.

'Damn it, Dad,' she thought, still fuming, 'Didn't even ask who he was. You just kicked him out without even givin' him a say in it.' Frowning, he thoughts turned to the little nomad. 'Poor kid. He didn't do anything wrong.' He seemed so innocent and carefree to Sylvia, so she could only imagine how upset the incident had made him, especially after how happy he was just a few moments prior. Not only that, but she had led him to her home, and that was in the daylight. Would the little guy even be able to find his way back to some sort of path and eventually get to the city - that is, if he didn't run into any predators on the way there.

'He's probably been traveling for a few months, I'm sure he has a way to figure out his way around, even if he's never been on the planet before. He probably has a map or one of those compass thingys, right?' Despite trying to reason with herself, she still couldn't help but worry.

She didn't even know why she was worrying about him. She barely knew him, she met him literally less than a day ago! So what if he was super friendly, and polite, and funny, and nice, and fun. She wasn't her problem, he was probably halfway across the jungle by now. No way she would find him at least not right away, and she wasn't about to sacrifice sleep for him. He was on his own and she was sure he would be fine. Just... fine.

'... Grop.' Lifting herself off her bed, Sylvia walked out of her room. Poking her head into the hall, she could hear the loud snores of her father and brothers. No one would know. 'I can't believe I'm gonna spend all night looking for some kid that I might not even find!' she thought to herself, though she still found herself heading to the closet to grab a lantern before heading to the kitchen.

'It's another day to the city, and that's if he can go two minutes without stopping to look at somethin',' she thought as reached up to grab some of the leftovers, smiling slightly, 'Might as well at least give him breakfast.'

"Hold it right there." Sylvia froze, and then turned to look at her mother. In her hands was at least a day's worth of meals already packed. Sarah smiled at her daughter. "A friend as sweet as that Wander boy is too good to lose," she told her, "Good luck, sweetie."

Sylvia gave her mother a quick hug before taking the food. "Thanks Ma," she said, thankful for her mother's hospitality. Sarah simply nodded and walked back to her room, ready to feign innocence in the morning if necessary.

Ready for her midnight trip, Sylvia secured the food to her back with a small piece of rope and then headed out, using the lantern to light the way along with the full blue moon that she knew was up that night.

At first it was easy, since there was plenty of dirt and mud outside the cave, so at least Sylvia could start out in the right direction. Once the trees started getting thicker though, with multiple directions to go, it wasn't quite as easy. Of course, Sylvia kept her eyes open of any orange she saw, and even asked any of the nocturnal creatures of the jungle (herbivores of course, didn't want to give some hunter an idea for an easy prey) if they had seen him, but no such luck.

After nearly two hours of searching, Sylvia was about ready to collapse and throw in the towel. But even as her eyelids began to drop and her feet started to ache and practically beg her to go back towards her soft bed, she kept moving forward. She knew she wouldn't be able to sleep soundly until she knew that Eryll was okay at least.

"Man, for such a little guy he can sure walk a pretty long way," she mumbled, about ready to try a different direction, despite the fact it was the only real hint she had to go on. But before she turned away, the warm light of the lantern shined on something green against a black bark tree that definitely wasn't a bush. "His hat!" Sylvia practically shouted, feeling hopeful before filling with realization. "Oh no, he got eaten. Some dirt snake or six legged panther found him first and got him!" She grit her teeth, trying to hold back the tears that were starting to form. "Stupid kid!"

Just then, she heard a small snore, followed by a familiar voice. "Wow, isn't that somethin'?" Curious, Sylvia walked towards the seemingly empty hat, and could soon see a small orange head poking out of it. It was such a ridiculous sight, she couldn't help but laugh at it.

"I guess it is big enough to be used as a sleeping bag, as long as you're star nomad sized." Setting the food by him, Sylvia smiled. "See ya, kid," she said quietly. Before she could leave however, she could hear the nomad start to stir.

Eryll rolled over in his hat, opening his eyes slightly and noticing the food placed beside him and the mysterious source of light. "Wha?" Sitting up, he looked up at the zbornak with sleepy eyes, but they were soon wide awake. "Sylvia!"

"Hey kid," Sylvia greeted before he jumped out of his makeshift bed and hugged her.

"What are you doing here?" he asked, grinning up at her.

"Well, I wanted to make sure you were okay out here," she admitted, "and, I guess I wanted to apologize for my dad. Sorry."

"It's fine," Eryll told her as he released her from the tight hug, "Really." He gave a small laugh. "Really, I'm just glad I was able to see ya again."

"Heh, guess I could say the same thing, kid," Sylvia agreed quietly. A long yawn made its way up her throat. "Grop, by the time I get home the sun'll be up."

"Well, if ya don't mind sleepin' outside," Eryll started to say, getting back in his hat and scooting over slightly, "there's plenty of room."

She thought for a moment. "Eh, what the heck?" Her mother would cover for her back home, and it's not like she was really needed for anything. So, Sylvia happily laid down on top of the surprisingly soft grass, wrapping her tail around her body. After a few seconds, she could feel fur cuddle up against her. 'You're lucky I like ya, kid,' she thought, 'Otherwise I'd never let anyone use me as a pillow.'

"Well," Eryll started to say with a slight yawn of his own, "Goodnight Sylvia."

Closing her eyes, she replied, "Goodnight, Wander."

()()()()()()()()()

The first thing she could hear was light, cheerful humming. The first thing she smelled was cinnamon. Leave it to her mother to make a whole meal just to give away to someone. Slowly opening her eyes, she could see Eryll happily munching on a piece of french toast, with the second piece still in its wrapping and placed by her.

Letting out a small yawn, she lifted her neck up. "Good morning, kid."

"Mornin!" Eryll replied before tossing the last bit of toast in his mouth.

"So, I guess you're gonna head out to the city today, right?" she asked him as she began eating her own breakfast.

"Yep! Shouldn't take too long, at least I don't think so."

"Well," the zbornak started to say, thinking about it for a bit, "my place is near the center of the jungle, and it took me nearly two hours to find ya, so... you should be able to make it to the city by dinnertime at least, midnight at the latest."

"Sounds good to me," Eryll replied, taking a sip of his canteen, "Hey, you wanna come along with me? I mean, unless you have to get home."

Actually, she didn't have any plans really for the day. Maybe just relax or do a little swimming in the river, but other than that she didn't have anything better to do. That being said, a day-long walk through the jungle and a day and a half trip back home didn't sound that appealing.

Still, Sylvia felt a small sense of... something when it came to the young traveler. A sort of responsibility maybe, or maybe she just simply didn't want him to get lost or hurt. Once he was in the city, it was most likely he would be so excited about a new setting, he would probably forget about her anyway. Not that she cared, he was a traveler, not like he would stick around long anyway.

Even so, Sylvia couldn't help but want to hang around him even for the small amount of time.

"Eh, guess I didn't have anything else better to do today," she said finally. Obviously happy at this, Eryll grinned at her.

"Well then, if ya don't mind eatin' as you walk, what do you say we get going?"

As long as the trip was, it seemed to go by fast - to both of them. Eryll because not only did he continue to find new things to comment on, but having a friend made the trip a lot more fun - as well as helped him from getting too distracted. As for Sylvia, she actually didn't mind the star nomad's almost constant chatter this time around - though she still appreciated the moments when he was silent for a few minutes. Instead of asking question after question, he shared stories from a few of his other trips, which were very entertaining.

In fact, the only thing he didn't talk about Sylvia noticed, was anything involving his home or any sort of family. While she was curious, she didn't want to push him into talking about something, so nothing was mentioned about it.

Lunch was, of course, delicious. When the two arrived at a wide ditch, they found a quick and fun solution by swinging across on jungle vines, something neither of them had done before. Sylvia was even able to do a little of swimming when they stopped to relax at a small lake with ruby and emerald colored fish.

"Wow!" Eryll had said when he first saw them, "they're so shiny! I've never seen fish like these guys befo-wah!" When he stepped on a nearby rock to get a closer look, he had ended up slipping and falling right in.

"Wander! You okay?" Sylvia , who had been sitting over on the edge of the lake, asked. Poking out of the water suddenly, Eryll cleared his throat and replied with a small smile, "I'm fine!"

"Good." The zbornak snickered. "You're completely soaked." All his fluffy fur was hanging straight down, and his once floppy hat was now drooping slightly, and there was even a shell sitting on the rim of it.

"Well, at least I'm refreshed," Eryll retorted, shaking his head slightly. He then gave a slightly mischievous smile. "In fact, I think you could some refreshment too!" With that, he suddenly splashed her, giggling.

"Hey!" Sylvia shouted, laughing slightly, "Oh, you are gonna get it now, kid!" Diving into the water, she did a handstand and began kicking her feet, sending wave after wave at the nomad.

Eryll could only laugh and enjoy the small wave pool that was being created. "Okay! Okay! I surrender!" He was still laughing when Sylvia resurfaced, which of course made her laugh right along with him. Of course, after they got out of the water and continued walking, their feet were covered in mud and grass, but it was more than worth it.

Being true to her word, the two had finally arrived at the edge of the jungle and about three miles away from the city, just as the sun was starting to move west, just behind the top of the mountain that sat between the two very different places. "Well, here we are, kid," she said, gesturing to the skyscrapers that poked out over the horizon like weeds, "goodbye jungle, hello industrial."

"I think it looks like a nice little town," Eryll commented, "and I bet there's a lot of fun things to do there."

"Yeah, I bet you're really gonna enjoy yourself there," Sylvia mumbled, smiling slightly. "Well, I'll see you around." With that, she turned around and began to walk away.

"Huh? Wait, Sylv!" The zbornak stopped and looked back at the nomad, who was obviously surprised at her leaving. "You came all this way, don't ya at least want to explore the city with me? I bet we can find a good place to rustle up some grub!"

Sylvia sighed. "Wander, I told you before, I don't belong there. Frankly, I don't really want to." She hated sounding like her dad, but part of her still felt leery towards the people who took part of their planet without even asking. Even if they had changed in the several hundred years they had lived on Zkara, Sylvia still didn't know what these people would be like, or how they would react to seeing a zbornak walk into their city.

"Come on, Syl, it'll be fine!" Eryll said, giving her an encouraging smile, "You can trust me, right?"

"You're not the problem. Besides, you've never even been here, so you'd be walking into that city just as blind as me! How do you know these people aren't jerks or con artists or somethin' even worse than that?" Her tail swished behind her, obviously getting more and more agitated with the thought of going into the city.

"I don't, but that's the whole point of travelin', ain't it?" Eryll asked her, "To see what a place is like?" The way his new friend was acting - the way she was so against somewhere new, thinking it was better to protect herself against the bad things and people she assumed were there, that were everywhere that wasn't her home - Eryll couldn't help but be reminded of a certain skeleton. His heart tightened slightly at another memory of home, but he quickly shook it away so he could help Sylvia.

"I don't know about you, but I have to believe that there's more good in the universe than bad," he said finally. Smiling, he looked back up at her. "After all, you and your family are good, and I never would've met you if I had been afraid of comin' here."

Sylvia couldn't help but shake her head. 'He's too florpin' positive for his own good,' she thought. But then again, that was one of the reasons why she was friends with him in the first place. "I still feel like this is a bad idea," she stated, "but I guess I should at least eat somethin' before making the trek back." She then noticed the huge grin on Eryll's face. "Wipe that smile off your face, kid. I'm only staying long enough to eat dinner and then I'm outta there, got it?"

"Yessum." With that, Eryll happily started walking towards the city, knowing that his zbornak friend was right behind him. He could hear her give another sigh. "Don't worry, Sylv! What's the worst that could happen?"

()()()()()()()()

So, it looks like the Squibnoids as well as the Knickknocks have been following your commands, Sir! Any signs of rebellion - as few as there were - were immediately captured. All is going well on your other planets as well, Lord Hater."

"Excellent," Hater replied, giving an approving nod towards his commander, "Anything else you need to report, Peepers?"

"Well, thanks to the metals we have collected on that barren planet in quadrant 7.5, I believe we finally have a solution to our little asteroid problem."

"Finally!" He was getting tired of his ship constantly getting dents. Of course he had plenty of weapons, but most of them wouldn't even dent an asteroid let alone destroy it. The weapons he had that could were too big and took too long to set up at short notice, so they were pretty much useless in this situation. Following his second in command, Hater was led to the control room of the ship.

Immediately, all the watchdogs who were steering or monitoring the ship's systems stood up and saluted their boss before going back to work. In the corner of the room sat a good sized laser with a watchdog - who was at least an inch or two shorter than the others - standing next to it, dancing slightly with his eye closed as he listened to music on his mp3. Both Hater and Peepers glared at him.

"Do you have anything to report, Westley?" Peepers asked him, but he was of course ignored. Getting annoyed now, Hater decided to get the watchdog's attention himself.

"WATCHDOG!" he shouted, his loud voice overpowering any music. Immediately, Westley tossed his mp3 and headphones to the floor and saluted.

"Sir! S-sorry, didn't see you there!"

"Of course you didn't," Peepers retorted, "Now Westley, do you have anything to share with Lord Hater, something involving our latest weapon?"

"Oh, right!" the watchdog quickly cleared his throat before turning to face the control panel on the laser. "Yeah, me and the boys from engineering have been working on this all week. The laser is powerful enough to destroy any asteroid but it can pass through glass without breaking it, so we don't have to worry about opening any windows, and you can even decrease the power for smaller asteroids to save the battery life on it." Feeling pretty proud of himself, Westley leaned against the controls and looked up at his leader. "Pretty cool, huh?"

"I'll decide whether or not it's cool!" Hater shouted, making Westley flinch and accidentally press a button, making a beam of light shoot out and across space. The three of them stared for a moment.

"Huh," Westley said finally, "Could have sworn the safety was on."

"And just _where_ was the laser aimed at?" Peepers asked him, glaring at his incompetence.

"Give me a sec." Westley took out his telescope and extended it before looking through, trying to find the beam's destination. "Let's see... wow! That thing's got some distance!"

"Westley..." Peepers growled, knowing that Lord Hater was getting just as impatient.

"Okay, looks like it's headed towards Planet ZX547 aka Planet Zkara."

"Will it destroy the planet?" Hater asked.

"No way, not even close," Westley answered, "the laser's power was specifically designed for the weight and density of asteroids, it can barely dent a planet."

"Good," Hater replied as he started to leave, somewhat satisfied, "I want to rule planets not destroy them, save that for when they start rebelling." With that, the skeleton lord left.

"When are you going to learn to be a bit more responsible?" Peepers asked Westley as soon as the coast was clear.

"I'm plenty responsible, just cause I'm not uptight like you-"

"Hey! Watch it!" The commander gave a small sigh. "Look, I'm just saying that when Lord Hater gets angry at someone's competence, the blame usually falls on me. But know this, I can make your life just as horrible. Extra training hours, no dessert bar access..."

"Okay okay, I get it! No more screwing up." "Good. You're lucky you didn't destroy that planet." "Hey, it's like I said, completely harmless."

The beam continued traveling through space towards Zkara, specifically its tall mountain. At the tip of the mountain was a small hole filled with rock and ash, that is until the beam hit the exact center of it.

In its place, was a small crack, the opening where the laser beam traveled through, straight to the mountain's center. From the outside, it looked as though nothing had happened. Nothing, except for the very thin line of smoke rising through the crack.

**Quick note: At the time that I am writing this, Westley is a character that has been announced to be on the show but has yet to make his appearance. There's plenty of interpretations of him on Tumblr, but I see him as a sort of teenage recruit. Not exactly incompetent, but he does tend to ignore Peepers and is a bit more irresponsible than some of the other watchdogs with a pretty big attitude (though he's smart enough not to use it in front of Hater). Whether I'm not I'm right, we'll just have to wait and see. Anyway, please review and have a nice day! See you in the next chapter!**


	10. Chapter 10

Sylvia's tail swished behind her, active and alert unlike when she would usually just drag it behind her. It seemed there were all sorts of aliens living in the big city, with a few species most likely living there only a few decades simply because her father had made no mention of them. Of course, when any person walking by would stop and stare at her, one glare would make them walk away. Though, she couldn't help but notice that no one was looking at her angrily or with the intent of kicking her out. In fact, most of them just looked curious - and maybe a bit nervous. Even so, she didn't really feel like being social with any of them.

Eryll on the other hand gave every person he walked past a pleasant smile or a quick wave. A couple times, he stopped to look at a window display with various clothes and items - a good portion of them he had never seen before - or snap a quick picture, but Sylvia always made sure he didn't get distracted too long.

"So, uh, what are you in the mood to eat?" Sylvia asked after a good twenty minutes of walking down various sidewalks. They had passed several small restaurants, but Eryll didn't bother stopping at any of them. Besides, the sun was setting and she was getting hungry again.

"Huh?" Eryll said, turning his attention away from a three-decker hoverbus, "Oh, you go ahead and pick. I'm up for anything." Sylvia mentally facepalmed, wishing she knew that earlier.

"Fine, follow me." Turning around, Sylvia led him to the nearest restaurant, which was a small sit-down place but not too fancy. When they walked inside, they could see the maître d' - a tall red alien with three eyes and short brown hair.

"Hiya!" Eryll greeted cheerfully, getting his attention, "Table for two, please." This time, when the alien looked at her, Sylvia tried not to scowl and instead gave him a slight smile. He then looked at Eryll, and then smiled. "Booth or table?"

"Booth," Sylvia said, answering for Eryll. She could easily keep her tail on the booth and not have to worry about tripping anyone. The maître d' nodded and led them to a good sized booth on the right side of the room. Placing two menus on the table, he took their drink request - both of them ordering water - and then left.

"I guess this place is kinda nice," Sylvia commented casually.

Eryll looked up from his menu. "The restaurant or the city?"

Sylvia thought a moment before answering. "The restaurant. Jury's still out on the city." Eryll simply smiled and returned to his menu.

Glancing down at her own menu, it was then that Sylvia noticed the prices for the place. They weren't really expensive, but still! "Grod, three hundred and seventy credits for a salmon platter?" Granted it included two side dishes, but still!

"That's about four gold coins, right?" Eryll asked, his money bag already out. He saw the look on Sylvia's face. "Don't worry, my treat! After all, you gave me dinner yesterday."

"Alright, but you better not leave this planet before I get a chance to pay you back," she told him.

Dinner was delicious, and despite being together all day, the two still managed hold decent dinner conversation, talking and laughing with one another. After Eryll paid - making sure to leave a good tip - the two continued walking through town. Eryll hadn't asked her to stay, but Sylvia didn't try to leave. By some miracle, once she stopped noticing the stares - which were becoming less and less frequent - and let herself relax slightly, it wasn't too bad.

"Mind if we go in here?" Eryll asked, pointing at a clothes and souvenir store. Sylvia shrugged, obviously not caring one way or the other, so they went in. 'For someone who didn't even wear clothes other than a hat and shoes, he sure does like trying them on,' the zbornak thought as she browsed while waiting for Eryll to come out of the dressing room. In the end, he hadn't bought anything, but he did say that he thought the clothes were pretty neat (his words of course, Sylvia personally thought they looked kind of dorky).

After walking another block, they entered another store, which was really just an assortment of various things. Most of it was junk to Sylvia, but there was one thing that managed to catch her eye. Hanging over a railing attached to the wall was a red blanket with yellow trimming. When she felt it, Sylvia was surprised to learn that it was actually pretty soft despite looking a bit old, but durable enough to keep someone warm. Zkara didn't really have a winter, but it did have a pretty chilly rainy season.

"Found somethin'?" Turning around, Sylvia lifted an eyebrow at what Eryll was holding. "What is the heck is that?" It looked like a sort of guitar, but with less strings with a coating of dust on it.

"It's a banjo!" Eryll replied enthusiastically, "the cashier gave it to me for free, said it's been here forever! Pretty lucky I found it before anyone else did."

"Yeah, lucky." Obviously her sarcasm went unnoticed as Eryll played a couple random notes on the instrument. After a bit of experimenting, he was able to play a three note melody. Sylvia smirked. "Well, I guess it is kind of neat. Do you know how to play it?"

"Nope." But he was going to learn. He had always wanted to play an instrument after all. As Eryll continued fiddling with his banjo, Sylvia decided the blanket was too good to pass up. Plus, it really did look nice. She didn't have any coins or credits, but the blanket was cheap enough she was able to trade some of her mother's chocolate for it. Satisfied, the two friends walked out.

"If you want, I can put that in my hat so you don't have to worry about carrying it," Eryll offered, having already put his banjo in his hat.

"Nah, I think I'll just wear it," Sylvia replied as she placed the blanket over her back. Soft, sat well on her back, not too garish. 'Yep, definitely a good purchase,' she thought as she followed Eryll down the street.

The sky was dark now, very dark. Eryll couldn't even see any stars, which disappointed him a bit. 'I guess with all the city lights, they're hard to see,' he thought. "So, d'you know where you're gonna sleep tonight, kid?" he could hear Sylvia asked him.

"I'm sure there's a cozy little motel around here somewhere," Eryll replied, "or I could always head out of town and find a camping spot, or-" Suddenly, he started coughing, breathing in something fowl. It took him nearly two minutes to get it out of his system.

"You okay?" Sylvia asked, concerned.

"I-I'm good," Eryll replied, "guess it was something in the air."

"Yeah, I can imagine all these cars and buildings stink up the place." In fact, she tried her best not to breathe too much of it in. It had been fine when they first entered the city, but it seemed like every time they went outside, the air was getting worse. They could hear people around them also coughing, so it wasn't just them.

"I don't know, Sylv," Eryll started to say, "it doesn't smell like fuel, it smells like... like ash or smoke."

"But, where's it coming from?" Sylvia asked. At that moment, the ground started to shake. It wasn't enough to cause any damage, but it did surprise people. Some even screamed.

"Was that an earthquake?" Eryll asked.

"Felt like it," Sylvia said, "but I don't remember one ever happening here befo- Wait. Hold on." She looked up at the sky. Dark sky, smoke in the air, and now the ground was shaking. In realization, her cyan coat paled. "Oh no."

"What's wrong, Sy-whoa!" Sylvia had wrapped her tail around his waist and lifted him up, carrying him down the street as she ran. For such a big creature, she could be pretty fast when she wanted to be. Not knowing what was going on, he trusted Sylvia enough to just hang on and not ask where they were going until she finally slowed down. That didn't happen until they were outside the city.

Looking up and over, they could see a long stream of thick black smoke coming from the top of the mountain. Any part of the sky that wasn't colored in smoke was now an eerie red color.

"Son of a flabberwoker!" Sylvia cursed, "That volcano hasn't erupted for over a thousand years! We don't even call it a volcano anymore!"

"But now..." Eryll started to say, just before the ground started to shake once again. This time it was a lot rougher and lasted a couple seconds longer.

"That thing could blow any minute now," Sylvia said before turning to the nomad, "You need to find your ship or whatever you used to get here and get out of here! Now!"

"What about everyone else?" Eryll asked.

"We'll figure something out!" Truthfully, Sylvia didn't know what they would do. There wasn't a lot of high ground nearby, and after a thousand years of being dormant, who knows how much damage it could cause now. 'Everyone back home will probably head underground and block the cave with rocks,' she thought to herself. It wasn't the best plan, and there was a chance they wouldn't be able to leave the cave afterwords, but it was better than death by lava. Her family was tough, they would be fine.

'But what about me?' Sylvia couldn't help but think. Home was too far away, the most she could do is try to get as far away from the volcano as possible. But she couldn't do that until she knew her friend was safe, and at the moment, he was just staring at the volcano. "What, do you got cotton in your ears, kid?! I told you to get out of here!"

"Sylvia, the mountain and the city are right next door to each other," Eryll stated, "if it erupts..."

"They're all toast, I know," Sylvia finished for him, though there was a twinge of sadness in her voice.

"And what about the jungle and all the creatures who live in it? They aren't safe either." Looking back up at the volcano, a sense of determination filled his heart. "Sylv, I'm gonna try to stop it."

"ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR FLORPIN' MIND?!" Sylvia screamed, "IT'S A FRACKIN' VOLCANO! How are you even gonna stop it?!"

"I do have one idea," Eryll replied, "and I need to at least try, Sylv! Otherwise most of the planet will be destroyed, and most of the people who live here will be hurt or killed."

"So, you're going to risk your life to save a planet?" Sylvia asked, more stunned than angry now, "Just like that?"

"Yep," Eryll replied. He knew it was dangerous, and he wasn't fearless. The thought of being that close to the lava, not even knowing if his plan would work, it was pretty scary to think about. His dream of travelling the universe could end before it even began. But that didn't matter now. All that mattered was at least trying to stop the volcano the best he could.

"Well then, I'm comin' with ya." Eryll looked at her in shock. "Don't give me that look. My home and family are at risk here. If you're gonna do something heroically stupid to save them, I might as well join you." She smiled slightly. "Besides, what are friends for?"

Eryll's eyes widened. 'So we are friends.' Smiling, he quickly hugged her. "Thanks, Sylvia. You have no idea how much that means to me." Feeling her own heart warm, Sylvia hugged back. Just as the two let go, the ground started to shake again.

"Alright kid, if you want to go through with this plan of yours, let's get started."

"Right!" Taking off his hat, Eryll quickly found his bottle of orbital juice.

"Bubbles?" Sylvia said, dumbfounded, "You've gotta be kidding me."

"Just trust me." Waving it above his head, Eryll created a giant bubble around him. He then stuck his hand through the soapy exterior. "Come on, Sylv!" Not really knowing what else to do, Sylvia took his hand and Eryll pulled her inside.

"Wow," she said, looking around the structurally sound orbubble, "Pretty high quality bubbles you got here." Her eyes widened. "Hey wait, you had this all along and you still insisted on taking a two day walk through the jungle?!"

"Flying over it wouldn't have been as fun," Eryll said with a grin before he started pushing the bubble upwards. Sylvia just rolled her eyes.

Ash started to fall from the air, and they could see red liquid start to overflow over the sides. Outside the bubble, the air was so thick with dirt and smoke, they could only really see a couple feet ahead. "We've gotta hurry!" Eryll told her, "Sylvia, you grab any rock you can find and put it in the orbubble, I'll take care of the bigger ones." Bubble wand in his hand, Eryll split the bubble in two, and then started forming bubbles around the big boulders that were scattered along the mountain.

"So, your plan is basically to try and plug it up?" Sylvia shouted over the roar of the volcano.

"Yeah! Okay, that's enough. Go up to the top and throw in the rocks you have, then come down and get more!" He could see the zbornak nod. "Be careful, Sylv!"

"You too, kid!" Eryll nodded back and then continued looking for boulders. He had found about a dozen of them so far, and despite their big size and weight, the orbubbles were still able to carry them upwards.

Meanwhile, Sylvia was throwing rocks onto the lava while at the same time, popping the boulders Eryll sent up. So far, his plan was working. The rocks were still melting, but as long as they kept piling them on, they could plug up the mountain. The boulders were a huge help since they took up more space and didn't melt as quickly, but they still had a long way to go. She wiped the sweat from her brow. The worry of getting asphyxiated wasn't an issue, but the heat was.

"Wander, where are you?!" she shouted as she pushed herself back down the mountain.

"Over here! Found a whole pile of boulders!" Eryll looked up and could see how distorted Sylvia looked through the bubble's wavy surface. It was getting weak. "Hold on." Quickly, he surrounded her with a brand new bubble, strong and ready for the next job. "There! Wouldn't want you getting hurt."

"Thanks buddy," Sylvia smiled, "Okay, let's get back to work!"

With Sylvia placing the rocks and Eryll sending them up, the process was quick and efficient. After nearly fifteen minutes, most of the volcano's top was covered with rocks. The lava that had already flowed out was cooling and actually acting like a sort of glue now."Just a few more!" she shouted.

"Alright, I'm gonna go to the other side and try to find some more rocks there!" Walking forward, Eryll pushed his bubble around the blackened mountain and began searching. Luckily, there were several good sized boulders as well as plenty of stones that could be sent up along with them.

'Just a few more,' Eryll told himself, not bothering to wipe the sweat from his fur. The volcano hadn't shook in a while, and there was no more lava coming out. They were actually doing it. The nomad couldn't help but smile at that.

Just then, one of the rocks he had sent up was blown by a gust of smoky wind, making it collide with Eryll's bubble, popping them both. He couldn't even let out a scream, as soon as the bubble popped, all he could taste was ash and smoke.

He was only a few feet above the ground, but it still hurt when he hit the rough surface of the mountain. Coughing, Eryll looked around, his vision blurry. "Sy-Sylv-!" That was all he could get out before he started coughing again. Where was his-? Somehow, he had managed to spot the out of place pink bottle against the red and black background surrounding him, rolling away from him very quickly.

"No!" He stood up, and tried to run, but couldn't get more than a few feet before collapsing. All the smoke and ash and heat, it was just too much. He curled up in a little ball, keeping a hold of his hat and trying to use it as a shield against the foul air, but it was no use.

Feeling his consciousness start to fade, Eryll glanced upwards. 'At least Sylvia and everyone else here will be safe.' They would be okay. His friend, his first real friend, she would be okay. Smiling, Eryll let himself close his eyes.

He could hear something, it was so muffled. Almost like, a voice. He felt something wrap around him, and pull him up. The air was cleaner now, he could feel oxygen make its way into his smoke filled love. It almost felt like he was floating. A pair of arms kept him close, giving him support but also space to breathe. Was it raining? He felt something wet fall on his face.

After letting out several small coughs, he finally opening his eyes. Looking down at him with happy tears in her eyes was Sylvia.

"Stupid kid," she said, laughing slightly, "You're lucky I found you when I did. I, I don't know what I would've done if..." Fresh streams of tears started to flow. "Damn it, get it together already!" she scolded herself, though still laughing slightly as she wiped away the tears.

Eryll smiled up at her. "You... okay? Not hurt... right?"

"Physically, I'm fine," Sylvia answered, "and before you ask: Yes, we did it. Your plan actually worked, for now at least."

"Good, I'm glad." He snuggled up to her, closing his eyes again. "Thank you, Sylvia," he mumbled before falling asleep.

"No problem, Wander," she answered quietly. Looking down at the little nomad, she couldn't believe how close they had gotten in such a short time. Had they really only met a couple days ago? That weird little furball who had opened up to her, it was hard to believe now she considered him a friend, her best friend, almost like a little brother.

It was then that she made a decision. Of course, Sylvia didn't tell Eryll right away. He deserved to rest. So, instead she stayed quiet, letting herself enjoy the starry night as the smoke cleared away.

()()()()()()()()

"Oh! Sweetie, are you sure you have everything? I can whip up another meal for you two to take along, I don't want either of you getting hungry!"

"Ma, I'm fine! Really!"

"You better remember to visit every once in a while, Silly." "Yeah Sis, you still owe me a rematch."

"I will, and stop calling me Silly!"

Eryll chuckled as he watched Sylvia say goodbye to her family. When she had told him she wanted to travel along with him, 'excited' was an understatement. He had spent nearly twenty minutes afterwords talking about where they could go together and all the fun they could have. Sylvia had just listened, chuckling or adding in a comment every once in a while. Really, she had only wanted to go to be with her best friend, but the idea of having adventures all over the galaxy sounded pretty good too.

Lost in his thoughts, Eryll didn't even notice someone was walking up behind him until they tapped him on the shoulder. Looking, he could see that it was Sylvester. The elder zbornak figured he would at least flinch at the sight of him - especially after what happened the last time they met - but Eryll greeted him as if it had never happened. "What can I do for you, Sir?" he asked with genuine politeness.

Sylvester growled slightly. He knew Eryll was the one who saved his planet with the help of his daughter, but he still wasn't one for strangers, so he decided to make what he had to say quick and to the point. "My daughter is perfectly capable of protecting herself," he said, "but still, keep a eye on her for me."

Eryll smiled, and nodded. "No problem." Sylvester didn't say anything back, but he did nod at him before walking over to his daughter to say goodbye. Once it was all said and done, Sylvia walked over to him.

"Well partner, ready to head out?"

"You know it!" He already had his bottle of orbital juice in his hand - he was thankful for Sylvia finding it while he was asleep. A bubble big enough for two was formed, and they floated up into the sky, waving goodbye as they left.

They passed by the white clouds, and then the atmosphere. Eryll never got tired of the view he saw right after he left a planet, but this time he gave it up in order to see Sylvia's reaction. Of course, she was amazed.

"Wow," she said, "Just wow. It's pretty incredible out here, isn't it?"

"Yep," Eryll said simply, turning his head to see the view for himself. After nearly a minute of silence, he asked where she wanted to go.

"You know me, Wander," Sylvia replied, "Where ever you go, I go." Leaning against the back of their 'ship', she said, "Let's just see where this thing takes us."

"Fine by me," Eryll replied as he got out his banjo and began strumming a happy melody.


	11. Chapter 11

**Quick A/N: I was surprised with the feedback for the last chapter. I wasn't trying to scare you guys, but I hope you were still able to enjoy the chapter. I'm sorry to say, this story's going to keep with the occasional dark scenes. After all, one of the POV's for this story is an evil overlord who - in canon - has actually taken over planets and proven to be pretty darn powerful. Of course they'll be plenty of lighthearted stuff too, this is Wander Over Yonder after all. Even so, I hope you all continue reading despite the sometimes dark turns this story will take. Anyway, enjoy the chapter. **

The tiny fire crackled, its sound echoing through the cave. The shadows on the walls danced, and he found himself moving closer to the fire, hugging his knees as he listened with wide eyes.

"So, seeing as the place is in pretty good condition and there's only one rule, they decide to stay. Besides, it's only one night. So, the parents let the kid inside the room while they grab the suitcases. Of course, you know how curious kids are, and as soon as he spots the door, he freezes." Sylvia lowered her voice, it's so quiet now that he has to lean in even closer.

"The old lady's voice echoes through his head. 'There's only one condition to stayin' here. Don't open the closet,_ any_ closet.' It's such a strange rule. What could she be hiding. So, the kid takes a couple steps forward and stops. He can hear noises now, but their not his parents. They almost sound like scratches... 'Open the door. Open the door.' The kid's even more curious now, though pretty freaked out. Still, he takes a couple more steps." He shakes covers his mouth, and Sylvia smirks slightly.

"When he gets close enough, the kid puts his hand on the doorknob. It's warm, not burning hot, but like a hot bath. It relaxes him, even if it is a bit weird. As he turns the knob, he waits to open the door. The noises have stopped, there's no more scratches, no more whispers. The boy laughs. 'I'm so dumb,' he says, 'It was probably all in my-'"

Suddenly, Sylvia slammed her tail on the floor of the cave as hard as she could, making him let out a shriek and jump back. "'Gotcha' says the monster. The end."

The two travelers stared at each other before bursting into laughter.

"Wow, you really did get me, Sylv!" Wander told her, still giggling slightly, "You sure do know some great scary stories."

"Actually, Craig told that one to me and Francis when we were little," Sylvia admitted, "but ?" Digging into their food bag, she gets out two bags of trail mix and tosses one to Wander, who catches it. As they eat, Sylvia lets out a small shiver. "Please tell me we're not stayin' here too much longer."

"We can leave tomorrow if ya want," Wander replied as he took a small watch out of his hat, grinning, "Only ten more minutes!"

The zbornak let out a small yawn before replying. "Good," she said, lying down on the cold stone, "You know, when you told me when we were going somewhere with tons of snow, I thought it would be fun."

"But you did have fun!"

"Yeah, for about twenty minutes, then I realized how florpin' cold the stuff is." Wander just chuckled. Sylvia may not have liked the cold, but he knew for a fact she had fun making snowmen and having that snowball fight with some of the people from the nearby village. At least Watrall wasn't the coldest planet in the universe, in fact the planet actually had quite a few places that weren't covered in snow. However, since the thing they came to the planet for was above the snow-covered part, that's where they stayed. At least Sylvia's hide and Wander's fur were thick enough so that they wouldn't freeze, and the fire along with the shelter helped too.

He smiled at himself slightly. 'Can't believe I actually got used to callin' myself that.' Before he met Sylvia, the name was something he used when talking to people. Most of the time he was alone with his thoughts, and not once did he think of himself as 'Wander'.

But after the former prince had been called by that name nearly everyday for the past seven months, it started to feel natural. It was the only name Sylvia knew to use when she looked at him - that is, if you didn't count 'kid', which she still called him sometimes out of habit.

There were times when he actually forgot his name was Eryll and not Wander. There were even times when he liked his new name better than his old one. It sounded nicer to him. It reminded him of his new life, who he was. He wasn't a normal prince by any means, but he was a happy nomad with a best friend who he wouldn't give up for anything in the world.

Besides, 'Wander' wasn't the one who left anything behind, so he was a lot easier to be.

"Hey, you alright? You're kinda zoning out there, buddy." Wander blinked and then smiled at his friend.

"Just thinkin'," he answered simply, "So, where do we wanna go next?"

The zbornak shrugged. "Well, there's plenty of planets in the galaxy, and on this side of the universe. But if you really want to we can head east and see if there's any interesting planets in that direction. It'll take a lot longer though, and we'll have to buy some maps."

"Well, it's somethin' to think about." In all honesty, Wander didn't really need plans for where to go next. He was more than happy to just let his orbubble float across space, and wherever it landed, that's where he stayed for a while. Now that he had a partner however, Wander didn't want to always decide where to go, that wouldn't be fair. So, he would let Sylvia decide their trips with small inputs from himself, and if there was ever a time where Sylvia didn't know where to go, that's when they would decide at random. It worked for the past several months, and Wander was certain it would work for years to come.

"Hey, we should get out there so you don't miss your show." Grinning once again, Wander quickly reached into his hat and pulled out a soft, green scarf, wrapping it around himself as he ran outside.

Eyes on the sky, Wander stood with his head back, not even bothering to turn when he hears Sylvia following him. "Brrr, next time we go to a cold planet, remind me to buy snow shoes before hand." She even had to drape her tail over her shoulders to keep it from getting coated in snow. She never experienced weather like this on Zkara, and while she would admit it was fun at times, she was also willing to wait a very long time before seeing it again.

"Oh! Syl! Syl! It's starting!" Wander shouted, jumping up and down and pointing at the sky.

"Calm down, I see it." Deciding it would be better than letting him stand in the cold, she let Wander use her as higher ground and lean on her neck to get a better view, his feet on the saddle so he doesn't cover her with dirty snow and water. Honestly, Sylvia had never thought of anyone using her as a way of getting around, and if anyone had told her she would be wearing a saddle with a pair of reigns around her snout, she would've punched their lights out. But when it came to traveling across planets, it was a lot easier and quicker than trying to keep track of Wander, who wasn't nearly as fast as her. Besides, he never treated her like some horse or just a way of transport, so it didn't really matter.

"Wow," Wander breathed as the sky started to change colors, with streaks of white and black light dancing across like brushes from a paint brush. The stars sparkled and shone even brighter against the new rainbow of colors. Every color showed up at least once. They swirled and weaved between the stars, almost like watching a ballet, before settling down after several minutes. The colors faded back to the dark purple sky they began at, and the stars twinkled one last time before going back to nothing more than white dots living thousands of miles away.

"That was AMAZING!" Wander shouted after a full minute of stunned silence. He quickly jumped off of Sylvia, looking to see her reaction. "Sylvia! Wasn't that beautiful? All those colors and the stars!"

"Yeah, it was pretty cool, so I guess it was worth being cold and staying up till midnight to see it," she replied, smiling as well, "No wonder it only happens every five hundred years." Looking down, she noticed that Wander was looking back up at the sky. "Uh, I think the show's over."

"I know," he replied, "I just wanna look at the stars some more." He never got tired of those, even if they never put on a show quite as memorable as that. "Hey, I wonder if we're under any constellations."

"Well, do you see any, Star Nomad?"

"Hmm, well, that one kind of looks like an archer, or maybe a tree? Ooh, now that one's definitely a two headed troll! Do you know any constellations that look like that?"

"Not really," Sylvia replied, raising an eyebrow at her friend. Where the heck did he see a two headed troll? All she saw was random dots. Still, she decided to let him have his fun.

"Let's see... that one is, a head?"

"You sure the rest of the constellation isn't somewhere else?"

"No, I mean, it's not made of stars, it's a head floating in the sky!" He pointed up at it, squinting as he tried to get a better look. "Looks like its a ship. Hey! Maybe they came here to see the-!" He felt Sylvia's tail wrap around him and pull him back into the cave.

"Stay down!" She commanded, not even giving him a chance to ask questions. Wander stayed silent as Sylvia poked her head back outside the cave. She gave a relieved sigh. "Looks like he was just passin' by."

"Who's he?" Wander asked, squirming out of his friend's grip and landing on the cave floor, "Do you know who was on that ship?"

"Not personally, thank Grod," she answered. Suddenly, she looked at him with disbelief. "Wait, you're telling me you don't know who Lord Hater is?!"

"Who?" The zbornak facepalmed.

"Geez, did you used to live under a rock? Wander, Lord Hater is one of the most powerful rulers in the galaxy - and a total florpin' jerk! He's only been around for a couple years, but he's definitely made a name for himself. He goes around the universe with his army of Watchdog freaks, conquering planets and ruling over everyone on them - and anyone who tries to stand up to him gets thrown in one of his cells. He's strong, powerful, has a huge army to back him up... Trust me on this, Wander, even _I_ don't want to mess with this guy!"

Wander thought for a second, taking all of this new information in. "Wow, he does sound tough. But, maybe he's not all bad." The political skills of his mother re-entered his mind. "I mean, if someone talked with him and tried to get him to stop-"

"Wander, no!" Sylvia said sternly, "You can't talk to a guy like Hater. He can shoot lightning from his hands, do ya really think he's gonna listen to anyone long enough before zapping them into oblivion?!"

"But anyone who adopts a bunch of puppies can't be all bad!"

Sylvia stares at Wander as if he just grew a second head. "What the flark are you- Oh, no Wander I don't mean actual watchdogs, I mean." She gave an exasperated sigh. Sitting on the edge of the cave, she begins to draw in the snow. Looking over her shoulder, Wander can see a little eyeball with a body and a lasergun in his hand. "This is a Watchdog. Little twerps with eyeballs for heads and for some reason decided to work for one of the worst people out there."

"Ohhh," Wander said, understanding. He then lets out a small giggle. "That is kind of clever name for them."

"Yeah, it's cute," Sylvia replied, completely deadpanned, "But seriously, Wander, we can't ever run into this guy, otherwise we'll either spend the rest of our lives in prison or get killed before we even get the chance. So if you see that ship again, you tell me, got it?"

"Yessum," Wander replied. Satisfied, Sylvia picks out a nice corner of the cave to sleep in. "You should get some rest," she starts to tell him before yawning, "lot of traveling tomorrow."

Feeling tired himself, Wander took off his hat and crawled into it. While his body is exhausted, his mind is still somewhat awake. 'No one's all bad. Everyone has some good in them,' he thought to himself. That was what he thought his entire life, and nothing had convinced him otherwise so far. Even if he had never met 'Lord Hater' before - and most likely never will seeing as how much Sylvia was against the idea - he still has to believe in his own ideals.

Even so, he knew now wasn't the time to convince Sylvia of them. So instead, he let his mind fall into a deep, colorful dream-filled sleep.

()()()()()()()()

Hater was bored. He hated being bored.

Practically laying down in his chair, he scowled at the outside world, not the least bit impressed with the light show going on in front of him.

Normally when he was bored, Hater would simply order his troops to take over whatever the nearest planet was. If they were in the middle of space, he would head to his room to either play his guitar or work on new inventions (despite having a whole team to make new weapons, he still found himself designing and making his own from time to time).

None of those options were available for him today. He had given the watchdogs a week off as written in their contract. Besides, it had been nearly a year since their last vacation, and they were no good to him if they were tired and burnt out. He had already practiced his guitar for nearly two hours earlier, and his mind was so bored he couldn't come up with a single idea. The best he could come up with was some sort of cannon, but that was just stupid.

All he knew was that he needed something to occupy his time soon, because when Hater got bored, that's when his mind would start heading towards the places he wished he could just blast away. Memories of a little skeleton girl for example, and what she was doing right now, if she was okay...

He suddenly stood up and walked towards the main computer. 'It's not my problem anymore,' he repeated to himself, 'That person is gone, he's dead, and thinking his family isn't going to help me take over the universe.'

Hater brought up a map of his surroundings. They were about three planets nearby, none of them previously conquered by himself or his par- Lord Obsidian or Lady Arkana. They would be good targets later, once he had his soldiers back. Memories of the first planet he ever conquered started to fill Hater's mind. Since they were better than any other thoughts he had right now, he closed his eyes and let the images play out in front of him.

_"Alright everyone! This is what we've trained for!" he heard his commander yell, "Remember to hit fast and hit hard! Now, let's move out!" A cheer erupted from the short army, and they soon began jumping out of the mouth of his ship._

_Hater wanted to wait a few minutes before making his big entrance. No doubt it was chaos up there. Since the planet's militia wouldn't be there for a while and they were only dealing with civilians, Hater had ordered all of them to keep their weapons on 'stun' for the time being. It would be easier to round up prisoners that way._

_Deciding he had waited long enough, Hater started to exit his quarters and head outside. He had never seen a planet's takeover with his own eyes, but he knew enough to know what was happening. No doubt there were people running and screaming with hoards of watchdogs chasing after them. Several groups were assigned to basically show what his army can do, cause a bit of property damage and really just put a little scare in the heart's of the planet's citizens._

_Others groups who were more skilled with combat headed towards the closest government official, where there were likely to be some guards. Whether that was a king, a mayor, a governor or president, Hater didn't care. He just wanted them brought to him. The others went against soldiers, no doubt outnumbering them._

_When he finally stepped onto the planet's grey surface, the thoughts he had pictured in his head for so long and the strategies he had - until now - only seen in books, were being shown before his very eyes._

_For a moment, he was completely frozen. It didn't feel real, almost like it was a dream. But as he walked into the city, stepping over unconscious civilians and hearing the yells of his troops through the screams of civilians, he became well aware that this was no dream._

_The communicator he had built into his glove rang. "Hater," he answered._

_"Sir, we've found the president of Hibplaunt."_

_"Good, bring him to the center of town, I'm already there." Hanging up, Hater only had to wait a few minutes before he saw Peepers and several others return with the captured president. He looked like every other Hibplaunt; about four feet tall, four eyes, a huge nose and hair that reminded Hater of the top of a tree. His eyes were filled with fear and confusion._

_"W-who are you people?!" the president asked._

_Hater waited before answering. For nearly a full minute, he glared at the smaller man, his neon green eyes burning through him, sending even more shivers of fear down his victim's spine. Finally, he said in a controlled voice, "You, may call me Lord Hater."_

_"W-what do you want?" the Hibplaunt asked, "Why did you come here?"_

_"I just thought that this place could use some new management," Hater replied with an evil smirk. In one swift movement, Hater grabbed the man by his collar and lifted him up off the ground. The man flinched at the attack, but didn't cry out. "Peepers!" Hater barked, "Check in with the others, and then meet me back at their city hall. I think it's time we explain to Mister President the new rules around here."_

_"Sir yes Sir!" With that, the tiny commander ran off while Hater stalked towards the tall green building not too far from where he was standing. Doors already opened, he walked inside, passing the unconscious guards as if he didn't even see them. As soon as they entered the former president's office, Hater pressed him against the wall and glowered at him._

_"Are there any other officials I should know about? It's a pretty big planet after all." The president stayed silent at first, but when he saw the ball of electricity forming in the skeleton's free hand, he started to talk._

_"There's only one president, but there are three councilmen stationed on the south, east, and west sides of the planet," he admitted, hanging his head in shame, "but they're only there to enforce laws and help spread information. I'm the only one with the power to create laws."_

_"Lucky you." Hater threw him to the floor. He knew he didn't use enough force to knock him out, but the Hibplaunt stayed down. At least he was smart. Smirking, Hater eyed the long desk in the back of the room. He didn't even have to ask, he knew it belonged to the president. Really, that just made him want to sit at it even more._

_With no one to stop him, that's exactly what he did._

_Like seeing the planet for the first time, it was almost surreal. When he told himself that he was officially the ruler of Hibplaunt, that he had conquered a planet all on his own, that he had truly succeeded and no one could take that victory away from him, something bubbled up inside him._

_He knew it was a cliche but damn it, he couldn't help it. He let out a loud, evil laugh, letting it echo throughout the round room and causing the former president to cringe and cower._

That had been his first taste of success and power, but definitely not his last. He had conquered more than two dozen planets since then, ranging from powerful empires to weak villages. From planets with huge populations, to others with only a dozen or so farms on them. Each time, the thrill came back. He never got bored it. In fact, there was only one problem he had with conquering other planets.

It simply took too long.

Hater's scowl returned. It had been nearly three years since he left Skulldrion, two since he started conquering planets. Even if he had been very successful in such a short time, he still hadn't even taken over a seventh of the universe, not even close! By the time he took control of half the planets in the universe, he would be over two hundred years old!

That's why he was taking things into his own hands. Bringing up a new map, he could see where several planets in a solar system billions of miles away were lining up to each other. Once that happened, whoever was underneath them would receive a single wish. 'And that wish, belongs to _me_,' he though to himself.

Part of him thought of it as taking the easy way out, wishing for ownership of the universe instead of doing it himself. But when he figured out that it would take too long to do it on his own - plus he had already proven long ago he was more than capable of conquering any planet - Hater decided that it didn't matter. He would still take over planets until then of course, but in only about a year and six month's time, he _would_ be ruler of the universe.

In case it didn't work out (though Hater didn't have any reason to believe it wouldn't), he also had the location of several objects of power that could easily speed up the process. Until then, he would just have to wait.

Unfortunately, that meant his boredom was starting to come back. Normally his ship was far too noisy, now it was just too quiet. It wasn't because he was lonely, no that was impossible. He was just too used to the annoying chatter of his watchdogs, that was all.

He supposed he could always call in some 'entertainment' and not have to worry about anyone catching him, but Hater immediately dismissed that thought. After all, that was how Lord Obsidian got stuck with his son, and Hater didn't want to make that mistake. As much as he wouldn't mind a little making out and even something more risque every once in a while, he didn't want it to be a one night stand. He'd worry about finding a lover later, once he was ruler. After all, there had to be a woman out there somewhere who was worthy enough to be his queen.

'Oh the heck with it,' Hater thought as he set the ship to autopilot. In three more days it would turn around and pick up the watchdogs, immediately putting them back to work. He decided the ship didn't need him until then. So, he went to his room, put on an old hoodie, - part of him hated that he hardly ever wore them anymore - laid down on his waterbed and immediately started to take notice of his fatigue. Sleeping for three days wouldn't be a problem.

As nice as sleep was though, Hater was more than ready to get back to his routine. 'Every planet counts,' he always told himself. He wouldn't be truly happy, he wouldn't feel like a true success, until it was all his.

Grabbing two remotes off the small table by the bed, with a press of a button he dimmed the lights and turn on his stereo, though it wasn't nearly as loud as it usually was. Rather than screeching guitars and pounding bass, it was a light guitar melody, an oldie and not a favorite of his, but it worked for now.

Sighing to himself, Hater pulled the soft hood over his face and closed his eyes, letting motion of the water in his mattress relax him, eventually making him drift off into a dreamless sleep.

**Hope you guys didn't mind a bit of a filler/exposition chapter. It's been forever since I wrote more than a few sentence from Hater's POV so it was a lot of fun. As for Wander, he's always fun :) Anyway, please review and I'll see you guys in the next chapter!**


	12. Chapter 12

**Thanks for the reviews guys! I really appreciate it :) Anyway, time for another chapter! Hope you all enjoy!**

"Alright, next group to the obstacle course, let's go!" Two dozen watchdogs silently obeyed, starting the course just as the previous team finished. They were already fast, and - despite the lack of depth perception - they were able to clear all of the targets. Really the only obstacle that slowed them down were the tires, and even then they were able to get through pretty fast with only a couple watchdogs getting temporarily stuck inside them. Peepers ordered three more groups to run the course before turning to Hater for approval. "Well Sir? We were able to beat most of our times from last time. Are you pleased?"

Hater was. "I suppose it'll do," he replied nonchalantly as he turned to leave, "go ahead and let them go for dinner." Peepers nodded, and Hater left, turning to walk down the long, crimson hallway.

Checking his watch, the skeleton scowled. They had another five hours before they arrived on Tezworalta. The planet's two suns would've set by then, but Hater had anticipated this and ordered his tech department to make over a thousand night vision goggles for the troops. Without the issue of total darkness plus the element of surprise on their side, the mission was going to be almost too easy. Hater smirked to himself. 'Of course, that doesn't mean it won't be satisfying. It might even be a little fun.'

He reached the end of the hall and was met with several different directions to take. It was almost crazy to think about how big his ship had gotten in only a couple years. But of course bigger is better, and Hater's ship was everything he wanted and more, both on the outside and inside. Made mostly out of stolen goods and materials, it was filled with anything an evil lord could need, and even more that he didn't need but just wanted for the sake of having it.

The only thing about the ship that would annoy Hater was that his crew would sometimes get lost in the maze of hallways, rooms and various traps set for intruders. Heck, there were even rare occasions when _he_ got lost (but Hater would never admit this, of course), but not enough to become an issue. It took a minute for him to remember which hallway led where.

'Let's see... Torture room, lab, prisons, weapons room and target room, more hallways, food court- hmm, food court...' Well, it was dinner time. Most of the time Hater just ordered a plate to be taken to his room, and when he did stop by the food court, it was just to grab something to go. 'Might as well, I'm already here.'

It didn't take him long to arrive in the brightly lit area that was already filled with watchdogs, munching on food and chatting away. Of course, silence fell as soon as they noticed him. Immediately, any watchdog standing in line either sat down or moved aside. Evil overlords don't wait in lines, after all. Hater didn't bother thanking them, he just trudged over to the hamburger station. "Two triple burgers with extra pickles," he stated. The watchdog cashier nodded before running back to the kitchen. It only took about a minute for Hater to receive his food.

When he turned, he was met would hundreds of big, red eyes staring back at him. He was lucky he was used to those stares otherwise he would've flinched at the sight. Hater scoffed. 'That would definitely be a shot to my reputation, being scared by these guys.' So, he just started looking for an empty table.

Unfortunately, there was at least one soldier sitting at each table, but when he found a nice but full table on the west side of the room, one glare sent them running. Smirking, Hater walked over and sat down. He had just started to unwrap his first burger when a voice stopped him.

"Um, need some ketchup Sir? I can get some for you?" a watchdog offered, some grunt who's name Hater never bothered to learn. Either he was being polite to keep on his good side, or he was trying to suck up. Either way, it annoyed Hater.

"No," he answered bluntly, turning away. No more than half a minute later, a particularly deep-voiced watchdog interrupted him again.

"Sir, I was given two orders of fries instead of one, would you like-"

"No, I wouldn't," Hater interrupted him before taking a bite of his burger, effectively ending the conversation. He heard tiny feet walk away from him, and gave a silent sigh of relief. About halfway through, another watchdog - who presumably also worked in the food court judging by the paper hat that sat on his head - started to walk up to him with a handful of napkins, but one sharp look sent him running away.

'I think I'm starting to remember why I don't eat here,' Hater thought to himself. Unfortunately, he still had another burger to eat, and he had skipped breakfast and lunch, so he didn't really want to throw it away. As he begun to unwrap it, he glanced up.

Every watchdog in there was looking at him, silently waiting for an order or an opportunity or, or _something_! Some of them were just looking over their shoulders, while others were staring without any attempts to hide it. Growling, Hater felt electricity grow in his hands. He didn't mind being feared and respected but for glorn's sake, couldn't he eat a damn burger in peace?! When he heard another watchdog start to speak - he wasn't really sure where - presumably to ask him something, he finally snapped.

Slamming a hand on the table, shaking the two lunch trays sitting there - 'Wait, when have there been two of them?' - Hater glared at them all. "All of you, TURN AROUND, NOW!" Whimpering slightly, every single eyeball turned towards their food, not stupid enough to disobey the skeleton and not daring to look up.

"I-I can move i-if you'd like, Sir," said a small voice. Looking down, Hater could see that Peepers had joined him at the table, the only watchdog in that room that was either stupid or brave enough to try. 'So that's where the other tray came from,' he thought, looking at the plastic tray with nuggets and purple mashed potatoes on it.

He was already feeling aggravated, but at least with Peepers he could discuss strategies. "You're already here, aren't you? Just sit down," Hater snapped slightly. Peepers quickly sat down, and began eating quietly.

Enjoying a moment of peace where he wasn't being gawked at, Hater continued eating as well. He had just finished his second burger when Peepers finally decided to speak up, though he kept his eye glued to the table.

"We're still planning to invade Planet Tezworalta, right Sir?"

"Of course. Are your troops ready, Commander Peepers? You did hand out the goggles, didn't you?"

"Yes Sir, and all of them have been tested, making sure that they're all working at full capacity." Hater nodded, satisfied. "Um, Sir? I heard that, along with the Tezworalta army, we will be facing another army. Apparently someone else has taken over the planet before us." Realizing what he said, Peepers tried to correct himself. "B-But I'm sure we can handle it Sir, and I assure you it'll be ours by sunrise!"

Surprisingly, Hater didn't look the least bit offended. In fact, he was smirking. "Peepers, do you know what planet took over Tezworalta before me?"

"Um, c-can't say that I do, Lord Hater."

"Good." They didn't deserve to be known throughout the universe like he soon would be. "If your troops have any problems with them, I'll be happy to join the fight." The commander couldn't help but notice how Hater said this. It was almost like he wanted - no, _hoped_ - that he would get a chance to fight, like this was personal... "But I expect you all to at least be able to handle the weaklings known as the Tezworalta militia." With that, he handed Peepers the two burger wrappers, silently ordering him to throw them away, and walked towards the food court exit, a smile still on his face.

Peepers blinked. 'If this is something personal,' he thought as he started munching on another nugget, 'I hope Lord Hater at least keeps some control.' Being by his side for three years now, the tiny commander knew how dangerous it could be when his boss let his emotions get the better of him.

()()()()()()()()()

Tezworalta was a square shaped planet, already making it rare. Even rarer was the gem-like surface covering seventy five percent of the planet. If Hater was interested in selling planets rather than collecting them, he would have more than enough to retire at twenty one. Of course, he had no interest in money, especially when it could be stolen so easily.

Landing on some of Tezworalta's softer surface, the 'mouth' of the ship was opened and dozens of Watchdogs jumped out, their night vision goggles secured to their faces. "First teams have been deployed!" Announced one of the control room workers. Because of it's huge population, they needed twice as many teams on this mission. Fortunately, with most of the capital city residents sleeping, it would be easy to surround it.

"Send the remaining teams as soon as the militia start to arrive," Commander Peepers ordered. Various messages were passed back and forth through communication, alerting everyone in the room of the soldiers' progress. As for Hater, he sat in his command chair, watching the on-screen monitor.

'Must be pretty heavy sleepers if hardly any of them's putting up a fight,' Hater thought to himself when he overheard one of the communication watchdogs say that the army had made it to the city hall, 'That or stupid.' Suddenly, there was a huge spike on the radar, as if a whole army had appeared out of nowhere. His eyes widened. 'What the hell? Last time I checked, they weren't looking into transporter tech...'

"Sir! Sir! SIIIIIR!"

Hater turned his head. "What!" he shouted, making his commander flinch.

"We just received word from our troops, they were ambushed!" Peepers replied, "A third of the soldiers have been taken out!"

Hater scowled. "Well then we'll just ambush them right back! Peepers, take us to the center of the city!" Not bothering with his normal 'Sir, yes Sir!', Peepers faced the controls and closed the ship's mouth before flying it to the middle of the vast city.

As he made his way outside, Hater could hear the screams of citizens, trying to escape the city. They could be dealt with later. Focusing only on his troops, Hater could see that they were fighting two types of soldiers. The first were Tezworaltanians, their periwinkle skin mismatched with the black and silver uniforms they were wearing. Of course, with their lack of muscles and experience, his Watchdogs were easily able to knock them out. 'No doubt they were used as a front line infantry.' Whoever was commanding them now didn't expect them to make it back.

The second type of soldiers however were a different story.

Wearing black robes and carrying sharp, iron spears and shields - some even infused with electric prongs - these soldiers no doubt looked familiar to the Watchdogs, which was why most of them weren't surprised at their strength. The soldiers were thin, their arms nothing more than strong white sticks, but they were smart. Add in the fact that they were a good five feet taller than Hater's soldiers, and even he couldn't blame them for their failure.

Lucky for them, this was one fight Hater didn't mind taking over. Cracking his knuckles, he smirked. "Hey, losers!"

More than a dozen skulls turned to face him. They all looked similar to him, excluding their eyes, which were gold or maroon compared to his neon green. They were also looking more surprised and shocked compared to his calm, cocky demeanor. At this moment, it didn't look like they recognized him. Their surprise did however turn to anger.

"Traitor!" one of them, presumably the troop's leader, "You dare abandon our planet to join this pathetic army?!"

"You say 'traitor', I say 'getting off a sinking ship'," Hater smirked, "Bottom line: This place is mine now, so why don't you get out of here before I get really pissed."

"You're pretty confident for a man whose fighting alongside walking eyeballs that can't even take a hit," the leader replied, not impressed with Hater's boast, "I'd say twelve to one isn't a fair fight, but I've never cared about being fair."

Hater simply smiled at the fellow skeleton. "Neither have I."

At that moment, the bantering was over. The soldiers began to charge, their spears and shields at the ready. Deciding to make the fight last a little longer - it wouldn't be much fun to just destroy them now - Hater kept his electric energy contained and instead grabbed the first spear that came near him, swinging the soldier against two more and knocking them all down.

Dodging a blow to the face, Hater punched one soldier in the ribcage before bending down and swiftly knocking two more soldiers off their feet. Of course, these were easy hits, and the soldiers were almost immediately back on their feet. Of course, Hater wanted them to think he would be easy to defeat, that would make it much more satisfying when he proved them wrong.

With each punch or kick, Hater increased his strength. He could feel bones breaking as he continued fighting, and one by one, the soldiers went down and stayed down. After a while, more skeleton soldiers moved in, but Hater didn't bother playing with them. One hit and they were on the ground.

Half an hour passed, and various bones and bodies were scattered around him. Most of the watchdogs had left, either to head back to the ship to patch up their injuries or join the others against the Tezworaltanians. The few that had stayed though watched in awe as their leader fought without even breaking a sweat. Despite how easy it was however, Hater never lost his smirk.

Finally, only one soldier remained.

Hater could tell the man's joints were aching, and most of his bones had at least been cracked, if not completely broken. He had to hand it to him, he didn't give up. If it wasn't for who the skeleton man's leader was, Hater probably would've offered him a job.

"I don't, care, how well, you fight," he panted, "You're still a, a traitor! And the Skulldrion empire will reign strong!"

Hater looked straight at him, his eyes as cold as ice. "Maybe I am a traitor, or maybe I'm just something better," he said as he raised his arm. A ball of electric energy grew in his palm, and the soldier paled.

"Ke-?" That was all he managed to get out before Hater unleashed all the power he had been hold back against him. Skeletons were strong against normal fatal powers like electricity and fire, but they weren't completely invincible against them.

Knowing fully well that the body lying in front of him was lifeless, Hater simply turned and activated his glove communicator, his face expressionless. "Peepers, status report."

_"The planet's militia has been taken out, and their leader has been apprehended. We're all waiting here at the city hall for your orders, Sir."_

"Stay there, I'll be a minute or so." With that, Hater hung up and walked towards the royal purple manor in the center of the vast city. He kicked down the doors, walked past the handcuffed guards and his own saluting soldiers, and headed towards the main office.

Like all the other Tezworaltanians, the High Councilman of the planet had light purple skin and was pretty skinny, but this one was wearing an expensive looking suit and had slightly ruffled, jet black hair. He flinched at the sight of the skeleton leader, which only made Hater smile. He _really_ loved his job.

"I've already made sure that he is the only official on this planet," Peepers stated, "and I heard that you've already taken care of the second owner's general. Which means the planet is officially on our control."

"Thanks, like I didn't know that already?" Hater said, rolling his eyes before switching back into 'evil overlord' mode. "Now, I have just a few rules to lay down as the new ruler of this planet." As if on cue, Peepers unrolled a long list of rules and commands as written by Lord Hater.

Some new laws were obvious like complete and utter obedience and loyalty to him, some could be called an abuse of power like what tv shows and music they were forced to call their favorite and would have to listen/watch everyday, and some - honestly Hater just wanted to see if they would actually follow them or he made them up because he was bored and needed to fill a space on the list. Whatever the reason, it was always satisfying to see the citizens of his new planet obeying his every word.

"Of course," the councilman said, bowing reluctantly, "but, could I just do one thing befo-"

"NO YOU CAN NOT!" Hater shouted, his loud voice echoing through the room. "You have the _nerve_ to ask me, Lord Hater, if you can leave?! Understand this, Tezworaltanian: _I_ rule this pathetic planet now! When I say 'jump', you say 'which cliff?', and you do not ask to go and-!"

"Big brother?" At the sound of that meek voice, Hater found himself suddenly silent as he turned to look at the small creature entering the room through a door he hadn't even noticed.

"I thought I told you to stay in your room," the councilman told her, sounding more nervous than angry.

The girl didn't reply at first. She instead looked up at Hater, trying her hardest not to cry. Green eyes met three, watery brown ones. "Please don't hurt my brother," she whispered before running back through the door. Seconds passed like hours to him in that moment, and if it wasn't for Peepers getting his attention, he probably would've stayed like that for even longer.

"Sir? I don't think she'll cause any trouble, shall we continue with the new laws?"

"Yes. Make sure you say every one, but before that, tell the troops to begin setting up a prison at sunrise. I want it finished in two days, with enough watchdogs assigned to stay here and keep everything in line."

"Of course, Sir, as always," Peepers nodded. However, one thing that did change from their usual planet takeover routine was that Hater didn't stay and make sure the former councilman paid attention. Instead, he left and headed back inside his ship, walking straight to his room. Practically everything outside his own head was dimmed and faded, practically invisible to him. But with every step, his own emotions grew louder and louder. By the time he entered through the final door leading to his private quarters, his hands were practically overflowing with power.

He grabbed the first thing he could reach - a mug that said '#1 Superstar' - and threw it against the wall. Not being able to control himself, Hater began to wreck and destroy everything he could get his hands on. The walls surrounding his room were so thick, he didn't have to worry about any Watchdogs hearing - though he assumed they would be smart enough not to interfere this time.

"Why! Damn it! She - that Tezworaltanian looked nothing like her! They didn't even sound the same! So why!" Why did it make him stop? Why did she make him show just a hint of weakness! He was going to be the most evil, successful ruler in the universe, he wasn't supposed to have weaknesses!

He could have done anything else, shown his authority or ruthlessness, but instead he froze up. He let himself be reminded! He let himself feel guilty and shame and- It made him weak! He was finally strong enough to take out any and all of Lord Obsidian's soldiers, he had finally taken one of his fa- Obsidian's planets for his own! A random thought crossed his mind: Was this whole mission just an act of revenge or defiance? No, it couldn't be, he couldn't be that pathetic!

But that was the thing. Whether it was a random thought that twisted his non-existent stomach or the origin of a goal that kept him on the path of conquering and ruling the universe with an iron fist, he couldn't escape the shadow of his former life. It was always there in the back of his mind, constantly reminding him of who he used to be, the life he used to live.

"NO!" He smashed the metal wall with both his fists. How many damn times did he have to tell himself? That person was dead! As far as anyone knew, he was never that person. He had always been - and always will be - Lord Hater. And that was the way it should be.

All his power exhausted, Hater fell to his knees, panting. "I am Lord Hater," he told himself, "I am Lord Hater." This was just another planet to add to his collection. Lord Obsidian was nothing more than a rival that he would take out when the time was right. He had no family, he had no friends. He only had a goal to reach, and more power to gain. His name would be remembered throughout all time, and it would be great. "I am Lord Hater. I am Lord Hater."

Finally, Hater felt himself relax, at least somewhat. All his thoughts were now focused on moving onto the next planet. He wanted to get off this one as soon as possible, but only because there was nothing there for him other than land.

He felt his glove 'ring', and he answered. "What is it, Peepers?"

_"Sir, I was just won-... I wanted to say that I finished reading your list of laws, and the others have begun work on the prison. We should be done ahead of schedule."_

"Tell anyone who's not building to get back to the ship and train. There are several planets nearby, and I want them all under my control within the week, understand?"

He could almost see his commander blinking in surprise. "_Y-Yes Sir._" There was another moment of silence. "_Is, everything alright Sir- on the ship, I mean._"

"Of course, why wouldn't I be?" he snapped.

"Just asking, Sir." With that, the line went dead. Lowering his hand, Hater remembered the damage he had caused in his room. He would have to get someone to clean it later. Hearing the small 'drip-drop' of water, he mentally added 'steal a new waterbed', and turned to leave. There were more important things for him to do.

Besides, planets didn't conquer themselves.

**This chapter took FOREVER to write! I kinda knew what I wanted to say, but couldn't figure it out. Finally, I decided on just making it about Hater, saving Wander's side for the next chapter instead of mixing them together, and then I pretty much just turned on my iPod and forced myself to start writing. Once I got into it, everything else just came on its own. Anyway, hope this was okay. More Wander and Sylvia next, so please review and I'll see you next time! **


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